Almost 50 years after her last Olympics appearance, Larissa Latynina still holds the record for most individual Olympic medals. She has 14 in total, to go along with the four that she won in team events. Born in what is now Ukraine, she was one of those responsible for establishing the Soviet Union as a major force in gymnastics.

Latynina first practiced ballet, but turned to gymnastics after her choreographer moved out of town. She made her international debut at the 1954 Rome World Championships, winning the gold medal in the team competition. After retiring in 1966, she became a coach for the Soviet national gymnastics team, a position she held until 1977.