Which athlete held the single-Games eight-medal record Phelps tied in 2004?

Alexander Dityatin held the single-Games record of eight Olympic medals that Michael Phelps tied at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Dityatin established the mark at the 1980 Moscow Games, where the Soviet gymnast competed in every men’s artistic-gymnastics event.

Dityatin won three gold, four silver, and one bronze medal in Moscow. His haul included the individual all-around title and medals in each of the eight gymnastics events, an extraordinary level of consistency across the competition. He was also the first male gymnast to receive a perfect 10 in Olympic competition.

Phelps matched Dityatin’s eight-medal total in Athens, winning six gold and two bronze medals. He later equaled the record again at Beijing 2008, where all eight of his medals were gold. Phelps did not exceed the single-Games total; his historic distinction was matching Dityatin’s eight-medal performance twice, before later becoming the most decorated Olympian overall.