Which Italian won Olympic men's horizontal bar gold in 2004?

Igor Cassina won Olympic men’s horizontal-bar gold for Italy at the 2004 Athens Games. He tied Paul Hamm of the United States on 9.812, but won the title under the competition’s tie-breaking rules.

Cassina’s victory was historic for Italy: it was the nation’s first Olympic win on the horizontal bar and its first medal in that event since 1928. He had already established himself internationally, winning silver at the 2003 World Championships before reaching the top of the Olympic podium.

His name is also attached to a difficult release skill. The Cassina is a straight Kovacs with a full turn, a move he was the first gymnast to perform successfully in major competition. The Athens final is sometimes remembered mainly for the judging controversy surrounding Alexei Nemov, whose score was raised after a lengthy crowd protest; Cassina nevertheless remained the champion.