Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina is a former gymnast, representing Soviet Union. Latynina, aged only 21, made her Olympic debut at Melbourne Games in 1956. In the all-around event, she fought off stiff competition to win gold. She finished first in the vault in the apparatus finals, second in the uneven bars and in the exercise on the floor, and fourth in the balancing beam. She also led the Soviet Union in Team Event to victory. Latynina was the favorite for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In the all-around event she led the Soviet Union to take the first four places, thereby securing a win in the team competition by a margin of nine points. Latynina defended her floor title, took silver medals in the balance beam and uneven bars events, and bronze in the vault competition. At the 1964 Summer Olympics, Latynina added two more gold medals to her tally, winning the team event and the floor event both for the third time in a row. A silver medal and two bronzes in the other apparatus events brought her total of Olympic medals to eighteen: nine gold medals, five silver and four bronze. She won a medal in every event in which she competed, except for the 1956 balance beam where she came in fourth. Latynina is the only woman to have won nine Olympic gold medals. She is the only female athlete who at some point has held the record for most Olympic gold medals. Additionally, within the sport of gymnastics, she is the only woman who has won an all-around medal in more than two Olympiads, the only woman who has won an individual event (floor exercise) in more than two Olympiads, and one of only three women who have won every individual event at either the World Championship or Olympic level. She is the only female gymnast to have twice won team gold, all-around gold and an event final gold at the same Olympics, having done so in 1956 and four years later, in 1960.