Nikolai Andrianov | The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (original) (raw)

By the time of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Andrianov was in his best form, as he won an amazing seven medals.

As a young man, Nikolai Andrianov was known as an unruly child. But under the discipline of his first coach, Nikolai Tolkachev, Andrianov became one of the world’s most accomplished athletes.

Born in Vladimir, Russian, on October 14, 1952, Andrianov competed in his first major international meet in 1969. And by the time he finished his competitive career at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, nearly all of the records were broken.

In Munich in 1972, the first of his three Olympics, Andrianov won the floor exercise with impressive tumbling. His aggressive style and outrageous difficulty became his trademark. By the time of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Andrianov was in his best form, as he won an amazing seven medals.

In the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Andrianov added five more medals to secure his place as the most accomplished male Olympic athlete of all time, with 15 Olympic medals — seven gold, five silver and three bronze.

Along with his 13 World Championships medals, 10 World Cup medals, and 17 European Championship medals, Andrianov’s competitive legacy leads most of the records categories.

Over the years, Andrianov continued to perform exhibition tours, promoting gymnastics to large crowds. In 1972, he married 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Ljubov Burda.

1972 OLYMPIC GAMES

1976 OLYMPIC GAMES

1980 OLYMPIC GAMES

1974 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

1978 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

1979 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2001 INTERNATIONAL GYMNASTICS HALL OF FAME