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Alexei Nemov Profile |
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Birth Date: May 28, 1976
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Birth Place: Barashevo, Russia
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Birth Name: Alexei Yuryevich Nemov
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Biography |
Aleksei Yurievich Nemov (Russian: Алексей Юрьевич Немов;
born May 28, 1976, Barashevo) is a famous gymnast from
Russia. He is often called by many sports commentators and
fans Sexy Aleksei. Ever the extrovert, he often poses and
waves to crowds during competition. Nemov's sense of
showmanship and his routines packed full of exciting skills
have won him many fans. He currently lives in his hometown
of Tolyatti with his wife Galina, and his son Aleksei.
Aleksei grew up in Togliatti, a small town on the Volga
River. His father left him and his mother when Aleksei was
just a baby, and Aleksei has never seen him since. He
started gymnastics at age five, and as a 16-year-old, made
an impressive debut at the 1993 World Championships, placing
fifth on floor. 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 12th overall.
He won his first major all-around title at the Goodwill
Games in Saint Petersburg, beating his 2nd-place teammate
and World Silver Medalist Aleksei Voropaev by over one
point. Much like Lilia Podkopayeva, fans and analysts
marveled at Aleksei for embodying all the ideal qualities of
a world-class gymnast: complex acrobatics, elegance, and
style. It was clear to everyone that he would be an imposing
figure in world competition.
Despite promising international success, 1995 was a
difficult year for Aleksei, as he gained a reputation for
being a Jekyll and Hyde performer - at times he was
brilliant and supremely talented, while at others sloppy and
unfocused. Then 19, he turned in stunning performances in
the all-around of the European Championships. Through five
events, he was the leader 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. Yet, in a mental meltdown, he missed
his two major release moves, crashed into the bar on another
release move, 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, Aleksei had another
embarrassing showing at the World Championships in Sabae,
Japan. The entire Russian team, clearly unprepared for and
unrehearsed in the compulsory routines, had a disastrous
showing. They were in an astounding 11th place after the 1st
round; and Aleksei, the worst of the bunch, was in 96th
all-around. The team rebounded in the optionals 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 Aleksei put up the highest
optional score of all the competitors. Though he clearly
demonstrated that he was a force to be reckoned with in the
optionals, his dismal compulsory round prevented him from
qualifying to the all-around finals.
Aleksei finally seemed to realize his vast potential at the
1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, winning six medals
(two gold, one silver, and three bronze). He peformed
solidly in the all-around, battling World Champion Li
Xiaoshuang every step of the way. However, he ruined his
chances for gold when his concentration failed him once
again, and he botched his middle tumbling run on the final
event. He finished a narrow second.
Aleksei's considerable Olympic success and newfound
worldwide fame seemed for naught, however, as he time after
time baffled audiences with his uninspired, inconsistent
performances in major international competition. He
continually battled recurring shoulder injuries, boredom,
and poor fitness level. He failed to win a major all-around
title for nearly four years, and many doubted his chances
for Olympic gold at the Sydney Olympics. However, he
surprised everyone when he arrived at the Olympics doing the
best gymnastics of his career, and once again took home six
medals. This time, he won the all-around title, finally
winning his first major championship of his career.
Although never regaining his incredible form of 2000,
Aleksei competed through to the 2004 Athens Olympics, mainly
as an anchor for the fledgling Russian team. Though unable
to defend his all-around title, Aleksei's performances
brought the house down in Athens, and placed him in the
middle of the largest judging controversy in the history of
the sport. After performing the most difficult and dazzling
routine of high bar finals, marred only by a step on the
landing of his dismount, the judges posted a 9.725, placing
him in third with several athletes to compete. The Greek
crowd erupted in an endless chrous of boos and cheers,
interrupting the competition for nearly 15 minutes. The
judges felt the pressure of the crowd, reevaluated, and
increased his score to a 9.762, still only placing him in
third. The crowd continued their raucous protest, which only
began to subside after Aleksei stepped up to the podium and
pleaded with his supporters to quiet down for the sake of
the other athletes. This scandal was finally credited as the
last straw after several judging controversies in the
competition, and fueled a massive reconstruction of the
scoring system which was implemented in 2006. Ever the
perfect sportsman, Aleksei took the disappointment in stride
and handled himself with maturity and poise. He rarely
uttered a harsh word about the judges nor of the situation.
The Russian Olympic Committee later awarded Aleksei $40,000
in recognition of his class and character, and he retired
from gymnastics soon after. |
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Other Information |
Won twelve Olympics medals in gymnastics
Finished 49 one-thousands of a point behind Li Xiaoshuang in
the Individual All-Around in Atlanta. Went on to win the
title in 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Competed on High Bar in 2004, causing several minutes of
booing when the audience felt his score was too low. The
score was raised, but the audience still felt it was too low
and would not quiet down until Nemov motioned for them to do
so. He finished in fifth. |
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