30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events

18. Alexei Nemov

Russia has a long, proud history of dominating gymnastic events in Olympic competition. If you include all the awards won by Soviet gymnasts in Russia’s overall tally, the nation boasts a staggering final count of 236 medals – nearly half of which are gold (91). The United States comes in at a distant second with 101 medals (33 gold), so it’s pretty obvious that gymnastics are an important part of Russian sports, history, and culture.

Subsequently, there are a great number of Russian citizens who have proven themselves to be international superstars through Olympic competition, and one of the most heralded is Alexei Nemov. As a 20-year-old, Nemov led his country – competing for the first time as an independent country called Russia – to a second-place overall finish in the final medal count of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. While nearly 400 Russian athletes competed in those games, Nemov himself was responsible for about a tenth of his country’s medal haul with six total medals (two gold, one silver, and three bronze).

He took home another six medals at the 2000 Sydney Games, again earning two golds, one silver, and three bronzes. This time, however, Nemov won the highest honor by capturing gold in the individual all-around category, effectively cementing his status as one of the greatest gymnasts ever.

Next: 17. Carl Osburn