Alexander Dityatin, the first man to earn a perfect 10 at an Olympic event, the gymnast who showed his dominance in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, sadly passed away this month. He was 68. While the cause of his unfortunate passing is yet to be revealed, the entire world has come together to pay tribute to the Russian Olympic gold medalist. 

Dityatin stole the spotlight after he won eight medals at a single Olympic Games. That’s a feat that only the American star swimmer, Michael Phelps, has achieved when he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. The star power of the Saint Petersburg native continued to rise. He was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) in 2004. “In Russia they haven’t forgotten me, but now I know it’s the same around the world,” he said in part of his speech for IGHOF.

The International Gymnastics Federation highlighted his dominating stance and stated, “Before an adoring home crowd, the handsome Dityatin took All-Around gold and helped the Soviet men end 20 years of Japanese team dominance. In apparatus finals, he earned a third gold on Still Rings and silvers on everything else except Floor Exercise, where he took the bronze.” But his perfect score in the long horse vault is still the topic of discussion in modern gymnastics. 

The news about Dityatin’s passing was shared by multiple Russian media outlets, but no specific date of his demise was given. And, to express their heartfelt condolences, many fans took their X handle to offer their sincere eulogies to the gymnast.

Fans offer emotional tributes to Alexander Dityatin 

Most of the fans were heartbroken with the sad passing of the artistic gymnastics legend. One fan on X wrote, “RIP 1980 Gymnastics Olympic Champion Alexander Dityatin (1957-2025).” In the 1980 Moscow and the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Dityatin won a total of 10 medals – three golds in the team, all-around, and rings; six silvers in the team, rings, pommel horse, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar; and a bronze in floor exercise.

It was almost impossible for anyone to beat him at the World Championships. In 1979 and 1981, Dityatin won seven gold medals. Looking at the mesmerizing record, a fan on X claimed, “Invincible..took medals in all disciplines at one.”

Many others pointed out Dityatin’s legendary Olympic run. After all, he was the first male gymnast to get a perfect 10 in the 1980 Olympic Games. A fan reflected on it and wrote, “Oh, that’s so sad. Detiatin was a brilliant gymnast – one of my faves from MAG. Wasn’t he the first male gymnast to score a perfect 10?”

The feelings were the same on Instagram, as well. When outlets announced the unfortunate news, fans deemed Alexander Dityatin the legend that he was. One fan commented, “😢 A bright memory! 🖤 Great gymnast!” Another fan added to the notion and wrote, “A true legend of sport, not just gymnastics 😢.” 

With his extraordinary achievements, Dityatin left his legacy behind and through his bequest he paved a way for the next generation of gymnasts.