Nikolai Andrianov, 'Greatest Olympic Gymnast,' Dies at 58

Nikolai Andrianov, one of the most medaled gymnasts of all time, died April 4, 2011 in his hometown of Vladimir, Russia. He had been battling multiple symptom atrophy (MSA), a terminal neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease that had left him unable to move his arms and legs or speak.

In his Olympic career, Andrianov claimed a total of 15 medals (seven gold, five silver and three bronze), a men's record not bested until 2008 when United States swimmer Michael Phelps won his 16th. A fellow Russian gymnast, Larissa Latynina, still holds the overall record for the most Olympic medals at 18.

He won his first Olympic medal in the floor exercises at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where he also took home a silver (team combined) and a bronze (vault). He won worldwide acclaim four years later at the 1976 Games in Montreal, where he took home four gold medals (floor exercises, rings, vault and the coveted all-around), two silvers (parallel bars and team competition) and a bronze (pommel horse). His four gymnastic golds were a single-games record at the time, not surpassed until 1992, by Vitaly Scherbo, Andrianov's own star pupil.