Sawao Kato (加藤 沢男 Katō Sawao, born October 11, 1946) is a Japanese gymnast and one of the most successful athletes of all time at the Olympic Games. In three Olympics, he gathered a total of 12 medals, eight of which gold. October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in Leap years). ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinaesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ...

Kato, born in the Niigata prefecture and a student of the Kuiku University first participated in the Olympics at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as a member of the Japanese team that dominated international gymnastics at the time. The Japanese team won the team competition with ease, with Kato as the top performer, winning the individual all-around as well. In addition, Kato won the gold medal in the floor exercise, and placed third in the rings event. Niigata Prefecture (新潟県; Niigata-ken) is located on Honshu island, Japan. ... The Games of the XIX Olympiad were held in Mexico City in 1968. ... Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the federal capital of, and largest city in, Mexico. ... A ring is usually anything resembling a circle, or a noise that cycles rapidly. ...

Four years later, when the Games were held in Munich, Kato repeated his victory in the all-around competition. At the podium, he was accompanied by two countrymen, indicating the dominance of the Japanese team, which retained its team title with ease. Kato added a fifth Olympic title on the parallel bars, while settling for silver in the pommel horse and horizontal bar contests. The Games of the XX Olympiad were held in 1972 in West Germany. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München pronunciation) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... Two parallel bars form an artistic gymnastics apparatus only used by male gymnasts. ... The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... The horizontal bar or high bar is an Artistic Gymnastics apparatus. ...

Kato tried for an unprecedented third gold medal in the all-around at the 1976 Summer Olympics, but was defeated by Nikolai Andrianov of the Soviet Union. The team competition was incredibly close this time, but the Japanese defeated the Soviets by four tenths of a point, earning their fifth consecutive title. Kato closed out his Olympic career by retaining his title in the parallel bars. The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were held in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

He is one of only 9 athletes to have won 8 or more Olympic gold medals, the most successful male gymnast at the Olympics, and the best Japanese Olympian.