Russian gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, whose 15 medals made him the second-most decorated male athlete in Olympic history, has died at age 58.
The International Gymnastics Federation says he died Monday in his hometown of Vladimir, 200 kilometers east of Moscow. Russian news reports said Andrianov had suffered for years from a degenerative neurological disorder.
The former gymnast had been stricken with multiple system atrophy (MSA), a degenerative disease similar to Parkinson's disease. He had been confined to his home in Vladimir for the past several months as the disease slowly paralyzed him.
Andrianov won seven gold medals for the Soviet Union over three Olympics beginning in 1972.
His first Olympic medal was a gold in the floor competition. He went on to dominate the next two summer Olympics.
In 1994, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he accepted an invitation from former rival Mitsuo Tsukahara to coach in Japan. He stayed until 2002, when he returned to Vladimir to become head of the same gymnastics school he trained at in his youth.
Andrianov was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2001.
He is survived by his wife, Olympic champion Lyubov Burda Andrianova, and sons Vladimir and Sergei