View source for Alexei Nemov

{{Short description|Russian artistic gymnast (born 1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{family name hatnote|Yuryevich|Nemov|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Infobox gymnast
| name             = Alexei Nemov
| image            = Alexei Nemov (2022-02-03).jpg
| fullname         = Alexei Yuryevich Nemov
| native_name      = Алексей Немов
| native_name_lang = ru
| altname          =
| nickname         = 
| country          = {{GYM National Team|RUS|MAG}}
| formercountry    = 
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1976|5|28|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Tengushevsky District|Barashevo]], [[Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Mordovian ASSR]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| height           = {{convert|173|cm|ftin}}
| discipline       = MAG
| level            = 
| natlteam         = 1992–2004
| club             = Trade Union
| gym              = 
| collegeteam      = 
| headcoach        = Evgeny Nikolko
| assistcoach      = A. Shestakova
| formercoach      = 
| choreographer    = 
| music            = 
| eponymousskills  = 
| retired          = 2004
| show-medals      = yes
| medaltemplates   = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalCompetition | [[Artistic gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Gymnastics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Team]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1996 Atlanta | Vault }}
{{MedalGold | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|All-Around]] }}
{{MedalGold | 2000 Sydney | High Bar }}
{{MedalSilver | 1996 Atlanta | All-Around }}
{{MedalSilver | 2000 Sydney | Floor }}
{{MedalBronze | 1996 Atlanta | Floor }}
{{MedalBronze | 1996 Atlanta | High Bar }}
{{MedalBronze | 1996 Atlanta | Pommel Horse }}
{{MedalBronze | 2000 Sydney | Team }}
{{MedalBronze | 2000 Sydney | Pommel Horse }}
{{MedalBronze | 2000 Sydney | Parallel Bars }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1995 Sabae]] | Vault }}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1996 San Juan]] | Vault }}
{{MedalGold | [[1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1997 Lausanne]] | Floor }}
{{MedalGold | [[1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1999 Tianjin]] | Floor }}
{{MedalGold | [[1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1999 Tianjin]] | Pommel Horse }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Team)|1994 Dortmund]] | Team }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1996 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1996 San Juan]] | Parallel Bars }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1999 Tianjin]] | Team }}
{{MedalSilver | [[2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2003 Anaheim]] | Parallel Bars }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1994 Brisbane]] | Parallel Bars }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1996 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1996 San Juan]] | Pommel Horse }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1997 Lausanne]] | Team }}
{{MedalBronze | [[2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2003 Anaheim]] | High Bar }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|European Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | 1994 Prague | Parallel Bars }}
{{MedalGold | 1998 St. Petersburg | Floor }}
{{MedalGold | 2002 Patras | Floor }}
{{MedalBronze | 1998 St. Petersburg | All-Around }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[European Team Gymnastics Championships|European Team Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1999 European Gymnastics Masters|1999 Patras]] | Team }}
{{MedalGold | [[2003 European Team Gymnastics Championships|2003 Moscow]] | Team }}
| module           = {{Listen
|pos         = center
|embed       = yes
|filename    = Aleksej Volin voice.oga
|title       = Alexei Nemov's voice
|type        = 
|description = Nemov on the Echo of Moscow program, 22 February 2007
}} 
}}

'''Alexei Yuryevich Nemov''' ({{langx|ru|link=no|Алексей Юрьевич Немов}}; born 28 May 1976) is a Russian retired [[artistic gymnastics|artistic gymnast]]. During his career, he won five world championships, three European championships and twelve Olympic medals.

==Early life==
Born in [[Tengushevsky District|Barashevo]], [[Mordovia]], Alexei Nemov grew up in [[Tolyatti]] on the [[Volga River]].His father divorced his wife and he lived with his mother in the city of [[Tolyatti]]. At the age of six, he began training in [[artistic gymnastics]] at the Volga Automobile Plant's specialized children's and youth Olympic reserve school in [[Tolyatti]]. He attended School No. 34. Since 1983, he has been training with [[Yevgeny Grigoryevich Nikolko]], a Master of Sports in gymnastics and Honored Coach of Russia. In 1999, he graduated from [[Tolyatti State University]] (until 2001, the Tolyatti branch of Samara State Pedagogical University).

==Gymnastics career==
Nemov made his debut at the [[1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1993 World Championships]] at the age of sixteen, placing fifth in the floor event. The following year, he stamped himself as a true all-around contender, winning his qualifying session at the Worlds. He later faltered and dropped to twelfth overall. He won his first major all-around title at the [[Goodwill Games]] in [[Saint-Petersburg]], beating his second-place teammate and World Silver Medalist Aleksei Voropaev by over one point. Nemov's style of gymnastics was considered very well-rounded; he had complex acrobatics, a unique style, and elegance when he performed.

Despite his initial promising success internationally, by 1995 Nemov had gained a reputation for having inconsistent performances. In the all-around at the 1995 European Cup, Nemov, then 19, was the leader after five events and had put up the high score on three events. When he came to high bar, he only needed an 8.75 to win the title. He missed his two major release moves and crashed into the bar on another, botched a required element, and stopped in the middle of his routine. He scored a 7.35 and dropped to ninth overall.

A few months later, Nemov competed in the [[1995 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships in Sabae, Japan]]. The Russian team had an extremely poor showing during the qualifying round, finishing in 11th place, with Nemov in 96th position all-around. The team rebounded in the finals to finish 4th overall (still a disappointment since it marked the first time in decades that the Russians failed to medal in the team competition), while Nemov put up the highest optional score of all the competitors.

At the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics in Atlanta]], Nemov seemed poised to win the gold. Nemov won six medals (two gold, one silver, and three bronze). He performed solidly in the all-around, battling World Champion [[Li Xiaoshuang]] every step of the way. Nemov ruined his chances for gold, however, when he botched his middle tumbling run in the final event, finishing second by a narrow margin.

While many questioned Nemov's dedication and fitness level, he continued to excel. Several shoulder injuries, as well as his marriage and the birth of his first son, along with perceived inconsistencies in character were cited as evidence of weak gymnastics prior to the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney Olympics]]. This led to increased concerns about Aleksei's lack of a major title. However, as a high-performance athlete, Nemov went into the 2000 Olympics in the best shape of his life – having never seen his newborn son (born in September 2000), and was able to take home to his son what he called a golden rattle, in reality an all-around gold medal. Except for still rings, he had won at least one Olympic medal in every other discipline of men's gymnastics by the end of the Sydney games.

===2004 Olympics controversy and rule change===
Although injury took its toll, Nemov competed through to the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens Olympics]], mainly as an anchor for the fledgling Russian team. Though unable to defend his all-around title, Nemov's performances brought the house down on high bar in Athens and placed him in the middle of a judging controversy. After performing a routine with six release skills in the high bar event final (including four in a row – three variations of [[Alexander Vasilyevich Tkachyov|Tkatchev]] releases and a [[Gienger]]), the judges posted a score of 9.725, placing him in third position with several athletes still to compete. The crowd became unruly on seeing the results and interrupted the competition for almost fifteen minutes. Influenced by the crowd's fierce reaction, the judges reevaluated the routine and increased Nemov's score to 9.762, but this did not improve his placement and he finished without a medal. The crowd's reaction, even to this new score, was so strong that the next competitor, [[Paul Hamm]], was not given the green light to compete. At the request of officials, Nemov stepped onto the podium and gestured to the audience to ask them to quiet down. For this act of [[sportsmanship]] he received the 2005 Fair Play Award from the [[International Fair Play Committee]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.fairplayinternational.org/how-the-most-inspiring-fair-play-awards-were-won-2- |title=How the Most Inspiring Fair Play Awards Were Won (2) |publisher=International Fair Play Committee |date=2005}}</ref>

This scandal was just the latest of several judging disputes in the competition, such as the scoring controversy involving Korean gymnast [[Yang Tae-Young]], and prompted a major reconstruction of the gymnastics scoring system, which was implemented in 2006. The rule changes are credited as having encouraged more acrobatic activity and increasing difficulties on the high bar apparatus seen in later competitions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/aug/07/london-2012-gymnastic-gold-epke-zonderland |title=London 2012: Gymnastic gold for true flying Dutchman Epke Zonderland |author=Emma John |publisher=Guardian |date=7 August 2012 |access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref> The Russian Olympic Committee later awarded Nemov $40,000 in recognition of his character, and he retired from gymnastics soon after.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.pravda.ru/news/russia/11-09-2004/59203-0/ |title=Russian Olympic Committee will award gymnast Alexei Nemov for performance in Athens Olympics |publisher=Pravda |date=11 September 2004}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Nemov currently lives in his hometown of [[Tolyatti]] with his wife Galina and his son Alexei (born 2000) and his other son Dima (born 2009).

In 2015, he was awarded the rank of reserve colonel in the [[Russian Armed Forces]] by Minister of Defense [[Sergey Shoigu]] for his achievements in sports and service to the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Алексею Немову присвоено воинское звание полковника запаса |trans-title=Alexei Nemov awarded military rank of colonel of the reserve |work=Gymnastics Federation of Russia |lang=ru |date=17 May 2015 |url=https://sportgymrus.ru/news/alekseyu-nemovu-prisvoeno-voinskoe-zvanie-polkovnika-zapasa.html }}</ref>

In 2022, after the [[International Gymnastics Federation]] opened a disciplinary case against [[Ivan Kuliak]] for wearing the [[Z (military symbol)|military symbol "Z"]] (used by [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invading forces in Ukraine]]) at an international gymnastics medal ceremony, Nemov expressed support for him, saying that Kuliak had been "provoked"<ref name=WOG220310/> and that his actions showed "courage".<ref name=SE220310/>

==See also==
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
* [[List of multiple Olympic medalists]]
* [[List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists]]
* [[List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games]]
* [[List of Olympic medal leaders in men's gymnastics]]
* [[List of Olympic male artistic gymnasts for Russia]]

==References==
<references>
<ref name=WOG220310>{{cite news |url= https://www.wogymnast.com/2022/03/alexei-nemov-one-of-russias-most.html |title= Alexei Nemov, One Of Russia's Most Celebrated Gymnasts, Defends Ivan Kuliak For Wearing The Russian Pro War Symbol At Doha World Cup |website= wogymnast.com |date= 10 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220310122037/https://www.wogymnast.com/2022/03/alexei-nemov-one-of-russias-most.html |archive-date= 10 March 2022 |url-status= usurped }}</ref>

<ref name=SE220310>{{cite news |url= https://www.sport-express.ru/artistic-gymnastics/news/aleksey-nemov-otreagiroval-na-otkrytie-disciplinarnogo-dela-v-otnoshenii-rossiyskogo-gimnasta-kulyaka-s-bukvoy-z-1901064/ |title= "Мы будем его защищать. Он проявил мужество". Немов — о дисциплинарном деле в отношении Куляка |language= Russian |trans-title= We will protect him. He showed courage." Nemov – about Kuliak's disciplinary case |work= [[Sport Express]] |date= 10 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220310095010/https://www.sport-express.ru/artistic-gymnastics/news/aleksey-nemov-otreagiroval-na-otkrytie-disciplinarnogo-dela-v-otnoshenii-rossiyskogo-gimnasta-kulyaka-s-bukvoy-z-1901064/ |archive-date= 10 March 2022 }}</ref>
</references>

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060326160636/http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2004/09/11/56043.html Russian Olympic Committee will award gymnast Alexei Nemov for performance in Athens Olympics] from [http://newsfromrussia.com/ newsfromrussia.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080918224942/http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/men/nemov.html List of competitive results at Gymn Forum]
* [https://sport-results.ru/luchshie-rossijskie-sportsmeny/#:~:text=%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BB%20%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BA%D0%BB%20%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BF%D1%81.-,%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B9%20%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2,-%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B9%20%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2%20%E2%80%93%20%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82 Alexey Nemov entered the top ten athletes of modern Russia]

==External links==
{{commonscat|Alexei Nemov}}
* {{FIG|bio=22180|lic=120|name=Alexei Nemov}}
* {{IGHOF|2017_Alexei_Nemov}}
* {{Olympics.com|alexei-nemov|org_archive=20110314080622}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{navboxes|title=International Championships won by Alexei Nemov|list=
{{Footer Olympic Champions All-Around Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Vault Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Horizontal Bar Men}}
{{Olympic champions artistic gymnastics Men TC|1996}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsMen’sFloorExercise}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsMen’sPommelHorse}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsMen’sVault}}
{{Footer European Artistic Gymnastics Team Champions (Men)|2000}}
{{European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Floor Exercise}}
{{European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Men's Parallel Bars}}
}}
{{International Gymnastics Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemov, Aleksei}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)]]
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Russian male artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gymnasts for Russia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Russia]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Russia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Russia]]
[[Category:World champion gymnasts]]
[[Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:European champions in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Mordovia]]
[[Category:20th-century Russian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Russian colonels]]