Alexei Nemov

Alexei Nemov, born on 28 May 1976 in Barashevo, Mordovia, is a retired Russian artistic gymnast who won five world championships, three European championships and twelve Olympic medals. He grew up in Tolyatti on the Volga River, began artistic gymnastics at six at a specialised children and youth Olympic reserve school there and has trained since 1983 with Yevgeny Nikolko. He made his world championships debut in 1993 at sixteen, won his first major all-around title at the Goodwill Games in Saint Petersburg in 1994, and was known for complex acrobatics, a unique style and elegance. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta he won six medals, two gold, one silver and three bronze, but lost the all-around gold after botching his middle tumbling run on the final event. He went into the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the best shape of his life, and he graduated from Tolyatti State University in 1999.