Boris Shakhlin

All-around gold medalist in Gymnastics at the 1960 Rome Olympics

Boris Anfiyanovich Shakhlin was a Soviet gymnast who won six gold medals and became the all-around champion in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Nicknamed the “Man of Iron” for steely determination and calm consistency, his individual Olympic achievement remains a best for men, bettered only by Czechoslovakian Vera Caslavska.

Born in Ishim, Russia, Boris began practicing gymastics at the age of 12. In 1951, he was sent to Kiev to be coached by Alexander Mishakov. Shakhlin’s athletic achievements made him a Soviet hero; he was awarded the Red Banner of Labor in 1956, the Order of Lenin in 1960, and the Mark of Honor in 1964.

During his illustrious career, Shakhlin won 13 Olympic medals (seven gold) and 13 world championships medals (six of them gold). His strongest individual event proved to be the pommelled horse in which he won gold in 1960 and 1964. His 13 Olympic medals was a record for men until it was bettered by fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolay Andrianov.

Shakhlin won four individual titles at the 1958 World Championships: all-around, horizontal bar, parallel bars, and pommelled horse. Unusually tall for a gymnast, his height and reach were a distinct advantage on the horizontal bar but caused him difficulty on the floor exercise.

After suffering a heart attack at the age of 35, Shakhlin retired from competition. He became a member of the FIG men's technical committee and later worked as a lecturer on gymnastics at Kiev's National University of Physical Training and Sports. In 2002, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Shakhlin died on May 30, 2008.