Alexei Nemov

The crowd's champion — four gold medals and the most beloved gymnast of his era.

Alexei Yuryevich Nemov was born in Baranovsky, Russia in 1976. He won 12 Olympic medals across 1996 and 2000 — the second-most by any male gymnast in Olympic history. His performance on the high bar at the Athens 2004 Olympics — technically exceptional, scoring below what the crowd believed it merited — produced a ten-minute standing ovation and booing that caused judges to raise his score, but not enough to change his medal. The incident led directly to a review of gymnastics judging systems. He is considered the most artistically gifted male gymnast of his era.

• Olympic Gold 4x (1996,2000)
• World Champion 6x
• People's Champion at Athens 2004