†
Akinori Nakayama was a gymnast who competed for Japan. He competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympic Games. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful male gymnasts of all-time. He won a total of ten medals throughout his Olympic career with six of them gold.
Nakayama started his Olympic trip at Mexico City 1968. While he assisted the Japanese men to prevail the team portion over their Soviet rivals by almost four points, Nakayama produced a single medal in every gymnastics event except for the pommel horse and vault. He captured two golds in the rings and parallel bars, shared a top spot with Mikhail Voronin on the horizontal bar, and placed third behind the winner Sawao Katō in the individual all-around. On the floor exercise, the Japanese men pervaded the top four spots for the final round with Nakayama finishing between the Kato brothers and Sawao capturing the title. Nakayama left Mexico City as the most successful male athlete with six medals, though his performances may have been outclassed by Věra Čáslavská on the women's side.
Four years later in Munich, the Japanese men's team (including Nakayama) dominated the entire competition at the Games, taking 15 out of the 21 individual medals awarded to the gymnasts. He returned to defend his rings title, becoming the second man in the event's history to attain such feat since Albert Azarian in 1960. Apart from adding a bronze in the all-around, he also enjoyed his teammates Sawao Katō and Eizo Kenmotsu taking the top two spots as the Japanese men swept the podium for the first time since Paris 1900. He crowned his Olympic career by finishing second behind the Soviet favorite Nikolai Andrianov by 0.05 of a point on the floor exercise.
Nakayama passed away on 9 March 2025 due to stomach cancer. He was 82 years old at the time of his death.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Men's individual all-around | 
|
| Men's team | 
| |
| Men's floor | 
| |
| Men's vault | 5th | |
| Men's parallel bars |
| |
| Men's horizontal bar |
| |
| Men's rings |
| |
| Men's pommel horse | 12th | |
| 1972 | Men's individual all-around |
|
| Men's team |
| |
| Men's floor |
| |
| Men's vault | 12th | |
| Men's parallel bars | 5th | |
| Men's horizontal bar | 5th | |
| Men's rings |
| |
| Men's pommel horse | Q6 |
1968[]
| Discipline | Stage | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Individual all-around | Final | 115.650 |
| Team | Final | 575.900 (115.650) |
| Floor | Qualification | 19.400 |
| Final | 19.400 | |
| Vault | Qualification | 18.850 |
| Final | 18.725 | |
| Parallel bars | Qualification | 19.550 |
| Final | 19.475 | |
| Horizontal bar | Qualification | 19.500 |
| Final | 19.550 | |
| Rings | Qualification | 19.500 |
| Final | 19.450 | |
| Pommel horse | Qualification | 18.850 |
| Final | Did not advance |
1972[]
| Discipline | Stage | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Individual all-around | Qualification | 114.250 |
| Final | 114.325 | |
| Team | Final | 571.250 (114.250) |
| Floor | Qualification | 19.050 |
| Final | 19.125 | |
| Vault | Qualification | 18.600 |
| Final | Did not advance | |
| Parallel bars | Qualification | 19.250 |
| Final | 18.875 | |
| Horizontal bar | Qualification | 19.250 |
| Final | 19.225 | |
| Rings | Qualification | 19.400 |
| Final | 19.350 | |
| Pommel horse | Qualification | 18.700 |
| Final | Did not advance |