In the land of Alexei the Great !

Togliatti (RUS) FIG Office, September 19, 2008: The west wing of Togliatti’s Olymp Sport Complex boasts two vast halls. The first houses the local Handball Club LADA, leader at the National Championships. Wow! The second has been set up exclusively for gymnastics.

When you step over the threshold, you take pause. This is where the illustrious Alexei Nemov first took hold of the parallel bars, where he did his first somersaults. Yellowed photographs hang along the walls, witness to the earliest beginnings of Alexei’s international success. His spirit impregnates the building, it lives and breathes right here.

His list of achievements is a lengthy one: European Bars Champion in 1994 (Prague CZE), World Vault Champion in 1995 (Sabae JPN) and 1996 (San Juan PUR); Olympic Team Champion and Vault Champion in 1996 (Atlanta USA). He took no less than 6 medals at these Games! And in 1997 (Lausanne SUI), he was the World Floor Champion. The following year, he earned the World Cup in Vault (Sabae JPN).

Alexei Nemov was on cloud 9 at the Olympic Games in Sydney (AUS), where he gave an unforgettable demonstration of his incredible talent. He won 6 medals: the Gold in the All-Around and at the High Bar, the Silver on Floor, the Bronze in Teams, and two more Bronze at the Bars and the Pommel Horse. And to top it all off, the day of his All-Around victory, his coach Evgeni Nikolko announced that just minutes earlier he had become a father!
At the Athens Olympic Games, Alexei failed to reach a single podium. Still, in the hearts of millions of fans and telespectators passionately watching the High Bar Final, Alexei was the best.

Talented, endearing, communicative, Alexei Nemov is and always will be known as one of Togliatti’s most remarkable gymnasts and citizens!