21. März 2011  
Vladimir, Russia  
Artistic Gymnastics

Russian Gymnastics Legend Nikolai Andrianov died

Nikolai ANDRIANOV
* 14.10 1952 - +21.03 2011

The Russian gymnastics legend, Nikolai Andrianov, the most decorated male gymnast of all time, has died after a long illness at the age of 58 in his hometown Vladimir this afternoon.
Andrianov was suffering from the degenerative neurological disorder multiple system atrophy. In the last month of his life he was unable to move his arms or legs or talk. (* > GYMmedia News, 2010, Sep 08)
Nikolai Andrianov was an exceptional sportsman who held the record for men for most Olympic medals at 15, including seven golds, until American swimmer Michael Phelps surpassed him at the 2008 Beijing Games. Andrianov is third on the all-time list of athletes with the most Olympic medals behind fellow gymnast Larissa Latynina (18) and Phelps (16).

Nikolai ANDRIANOV - a idol of young talents worldwide!*Photo: 1977, on the occassion of an international Gym Show in Leipziger (GDR)
Young German winner of the ''Spartakiade', Udo Boettcher and Holger Zeig - later a bronze medallist
at the worlds 1985 in Montreal - were happy about an autograph of the world star!

Andrianov, at his third Olympic Games at home, in Moscow 1980

Munich 1972 - Montreal 1976 - Moscow 1980 ....
The Russian won four golds, including the coveted all-around title, two silvers and a bronze at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, then added two more golds, two silvers and a bronze four years later on home soil in Moscow. He also had a gold, silver and bronze from the 1972 Munich Games.

Andrianov retired shortly after the 1980 Moscow Olympics and began a long coaching career.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he accepted an invitation from former rival Mitsuo Tsukahara to coach in Japan. He stayed in Japan from 1994 until 2002, when he returned to Vladimir to become head of the same gymnastics school he trained at in his youth.

2001 Nikolai Andrianov was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, two-time Olympic gymnastics champion Liubov Burda Andtianova  and two sons, Vladimir and Sergei.