Considered by many as the best male gymnast of all time, Vitaly Scherbo will be remembered as much for his dynamic gymnastics as he will for his outgoing personality. In 1996 one writer described him as "hopelessly extroverted," referring to the gymnast's propensity to openly react unfavorably to scores and to speak his mind.

Prodigies tend to be unique, and Scherbo, who was born Jan. 13, 1972, in Minsk, Belarus, was a genius of gymnastics. He simply loved to win and hated to lose. His frustration with the all-around silver at the 1991 World Championships might well have led to one of the most impressive performances ever.

At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Scherbo was nearly untouchable. He dominated the field by winning six of the available eight gold medals, the most titles of any single Olympics gymnastics competition.

The following year he won the world all-around title and two apparatus golds. By the time his career ended in 1996, he had won 10 Olympic medals (six gold) and an incredible 23 world championship medals (12 gold). The latter remains a record today.

Scherbo had no weak event, and won at least one world title on each apparatus. His name is in the Code of Points for a unique vault in which he performs a full twist onto the horse.

After he retired from competition, Scherbo moved to the U.S. with his wife and daughter. In 1998 he opened Vitaly Scherbo School of Gymnastics, a 12,000-square-foot facility in northwest Las Vegas.

Vitaly Scherbo may indeed have been outspoken as an athlete, but his unparalleled results certainly speak for themselves.