Alexei Nemov

A LEGEND OF RUSSIAN GYMNASTICSProject by Victoria Kazadaeva

Class 11 aGymnasium №11 “Harmony”

Novosibirsk Teacher: Tamara Natanovna Galiulina

Full name: ALEXEI YURIEVICH NEMOVBorn: 28 MAY 1976 IN BARASHEVO, MORDOVIAHometown: TOLIATTIHeight: 173 CENTIMETRES Discipline: MEN'S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICSTitle: FOUR TIMES OLYMPIC CHAMPIONHead coach: EVGENY NIKOLKO

Personal Information

Alexei Yuryevich Nemov grew up in Tolyatti. His mother first took him to gymnastics hall when he was five. Naturally gifted, Nemov was equally at home on every piece of apparatus, and was soon catching the eye of the national selectors. At the age of 16, he was chosen to represent Russia at the 1993 World Championships in Birmingham , where he finished fifth on floor.

Success in Atlanta

Early Years

During the 1996 Games in Atlanta, he won his first Olympic gold in the all-around team competition and a silver in the individual all-around event. He won a second gold in vault, before adding three bronze medals, in the floor, horizontal bar and pommel horse. His six podium finishes made him the athlete with the biggest medal haul at Atlanta 1996.

Olympic Games in SydneyAfter Atlanta, Nemov had an injury and was operated on his shoulder in 1997. But that didn’t stop him from participating in Sydney Olympics and winning two gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals. It meant that, the second Games in succession, Nemov had finished with more medals than any other athlete.

Between 1994 and 2003 Nemov also won 13 medals in the World Championships, five of them gold! At the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 Alexei Nemov produced a real sensation! When the judges posted a score of 9.725 for his complex elements on a horizontal bar, placing him in third with several athletes still to compete, the entire stadium stood up and cheered his name for 15 minutes in disagreement with the judges. After that an extremely unusual thing happened and the two judges – from Malaysia and Canada – gave Nemov new, higher grades. Anyway, the public was not satisfied with the new decision either, and they kept booing in protest. They calmed down only after Alexei Nemov applauded to the audience with a smile and put his finger to his lips to ask the people to stop making a noise. He was grateful to the people for support. "It was a class act by Alexei," said USA Gymnastics president Bob Colarossi."What he did was in the true Olympic spirit."The new grade did not change the overall ranking, and Nemov was in the 5th position.

A n ex t r a o r d i n a r y t h i n g i n At h e n s - 2 0 0 4

Alexei Nemov ’s Olympic , Wor ld and European Championships medals

Atlanta Olympics (1996):two gold medalsone silver medal

three bronze medals

Sydney Olympics (2000):two gold medalsone silver medal

three bronze medals

World Championships:five gold medals (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 - twice)

four silver medals (1994, 1996, 1999, 2003)four bronze medals (1994, 1996, 1997, 2003)

European Championships:three gold medals (1994, 1998, 2002)

one bronze medal (1998)

A new beginning

After the Olympiad in Athens Alexei left professional sport . He got engaged both in public activities and in popularizing sports, gymnastics in particular. In 2006 Alexei organized his own sports show “Legends About Sport”, in which Alina Kabaeva, Irina Tchashina, Elena Zamolodchikova, Nikolai Podgorny and many other famous gymnasts took part. Then there was the show "Flights of Time" and finally, “The Pulse of Victory“, which showcased the history of the Olympic Games .

Alexei is a happy father: with his wife Galina he has three sons. They aren’t involved in elite sport although Alexei thinks that Dmitri, the youngest son, may become a promising gymnast in future!

I’m proud of Alexei Nemov. His life and way to the top in gymnastics is a wonderful example for us to follow. When doctors said he couldn’t be a sportsman because of his backbone problems, he didn’t listen to them. In spite of impossibilities, acute pain and traumas, he didn’t quit sport but went on training hard to achieve his goals. Alexei Nemov is one of the 15 most “medalled” athletes in the history of the Olympic Games. He is a Laureate of the «World Sports Awards» , a kind of sports Oscar. He was awarded the order For Honor and Valor (within the Russian National Olympus prize). The awarding was held in the Christ the Savior Cathedral.