Ivan Uladzimiravich Litvinovich (Belarusian: Іван Уладзіміравіч Літвіновіч; born 26 June 2001) is a Belarusian trampoline gymnast. He represented Belarus at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the men's trampoline individual event. He again won the gold medal in the individual event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, as an Individual Neutral Athlete, making him the first male trampoline athlete ever to win two gold medals in the Olympics and the only AIN to win gold. He is a two-time World champion (2019, 2021) and the 2021 European champion in the individual team event, and he is the 2019 World individual silver medalist.
Ivan Litvinovich | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Litvinovich at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Ivan Uladzimiravich Litvinovich | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Vanya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country represented | ![]() ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Vileyka, Belarus | 26 June 2001|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Vitebsk, Belarus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Discipline | Trampoline gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Republican Centre for Olympic Training in Gymnastic Sports | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach(es) | Olga Vlasova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editLitvinovich began trampoline gymnastics at age eight. Prior to that, he trained in acrobatic gymnastics because his mother competed in the discipline. He was noticed by the Belarusian national team coach, Olga Vlasova, in 2017 and began training with the national team in Vitebsk.[1][2][3]
Career
edit2017–18
editLitvinovich finished fourth as an individual in the 15-16 age group at the 2017 World Age Group Competition,[4] and he won a silver medal in synchronized trampoline (synchro) with Daniil Valyntsau.[5] At the 2018 Junior European Championships, he won the gold medal in the individual event.[6] He then competed in the individual trampoline and mixed multi-discipline team events at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, without winning a medal. In the individual event, he qualified to compete in the final in first place,[7] but he finished in fourth place due to minor mistakes.[8] He finished seventh in the individual event at the 2018 World Championships.[9]
2019
editLitvinovich competed in synchro with Mikita Fomchanka at the Valladolid World Cup, winning the bronze medal.[10] He then won the silver medal in the individual event at the World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan, behind China's Gao Lei.[11] With this result, he earned an Olympic trampoline berth for Belarus.[12] Additionally, he won a gold medal in the individual team event alongside Uladzislau Hancharou, Aleh Rabtsau, and Aliaksei Dudarau. After the competition, he was presented with the VTB Prize for accuracy and elegance.[13]
2020–21
editLitvinovich won the silver medal behind Gao Lei by less than three-tenths of a point at the 2020 Baku World Cup.[14] He did not compete at any other major international events in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2021 European Championships in Sochi, Russia, he won the gold medal in the team event alongside Uladzislau Hancharou, Aleh Rabtsau, and Aliaksei Dudarau.[15]
Heading into the postponed 2020 Olympic Games, Litvinovich was considered a "dark horse" contender for the gold medal.[16] He finished in first place in the qualification round.[17] He then won the gold medal in the individual trampoline final, ahead of China's Dong Dong and New Zealand's Dylan Schmidt.[18] This marked a second consecutive men's trampoline title for Belarus, following Uladzislau Hancharou's win in 2016.[19] This was the only gold medal Belarus won at the 2020 Olympics.[20]
At the 2021 World Championships, Litvinovich qualified for the semifinals in first place.[21] However, in the semifinals, he was unable to finish his routine and failed to qualify for the final.[22] He helped Belarus defend its World team title.[23]
2022–24
editIn February 2022, Litvinovich competed at the Baku World Cup and won the individual title in addition to winning the synchro title with Andrei Builou.[24] In March 2022, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) banned Russian and Belarussian athletes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[25] In 2024, the FIG approved certain athletes as "neutral" to return to international competition, and Litvinovich was one of 14 approved.[26]
Litvinovich returned to competition at the 2024 Baku World Cup, winning the bronze medal in the individual event.[27] He also won the individual bronze medal at the 2024 Cottbus World Cup.[28] He won a quota for the 2024 Olympic Games with his results in the 2024 World Cup series.[29] In June, he was approved to compete as an Individual Neutral Athlete by the International Olympic Committee.[30] At the Olympic Games, he qualified for the individual final in first place and successfully defended his Olympic title ahead of Chinese gymnasts Wang Zisai and Yan Langyu.[31] He became the first male trampoline gymnast to win two gold medals at the Olympic Games.[32] He was the only one out of the 32 Individual Neutral Athletes to win a gold medal.[33]
Political views
editAfter the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the protests following the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko, Litvinovich signed an open letter in support of Lukashenko.[34] Since 2024, his participation in competitions as a "neutral" athlete has been questioned by the media.[35] At the 2024 Summer Olympics, he declined to answer questions about his previous support of Lukashenko.[36]
Awards
editHe received a Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism in 2020 following his medals at the 2019 World Championships.[37] In 2022, he received the Order of the Fatherland, III degree for his Olympic gold medal.[38]
References
edit- ^ "Ivan Litvinovich". Paris 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Litvinovich Ivan - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Ivan Litvinovich". Belarus Olympic Committee. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "25th FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Age Group Competitions 16-19 November, 2017, Sofia, Bulgaria, Arena Armeec Individual trampoline — 15-16 Boys — Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 18 November 2017. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "25th FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Age Group Competitions 16-19 November, 2017, Sofia, Bulgaria, Arena Armeec Synchronised trampoline — 15-16 Boys — Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 19 November 2017. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Anthems of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Portugal and Russia played as Baku 2018 concludes". European Gymnastics. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Lange comes on in leaps and bounds as Team Simone Biles takes first Gymnastics gold at Buenos Aires 2018". International Gymnastics Federation. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Pickering shakes off jitters and jumps to Olympic joy". International Gymnastics Federation. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "33rd FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships 2018 St. Petersburg (Russia), 7-10 November 2018 Men's Trampoline Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Hancharou and Liu back on top in Valladolid". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Rowbottom, Mike (1 December 2019). "Gao wins record fourth title and Mori delights at Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships". Inside the Games. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Big crowds hail trampoline world champions in gleaming gymnastics arena". International Olympic Committee. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Litvinovich and Labrousse land jackpot by winning inaugural VTB Prize for Accuracy". International Gymnastics Federation. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "World champions, rising stars sizzle at Baku Trampoline World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Russian gymnasts dominate at European Trampoline Championships". International Gymnastics Federation. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Litvinovich's leap of faith lands Belarus back-to-back Olympic Trampoline titles". International Gymnastics Federation. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Litvinovich's gold gives Belarus back-to-back Trampoline titles". International Gymnastics Federation. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Belarus' Ivan Litvinovich captures gold in men's trampoline at Tokyo Olympics". ESPN. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Berkeley, Geoff (31 July 2021). "Litvinovich lands Belarus' first medal at Tokyo 2020 with trampoline gold". Inside the Games. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 Medal Table". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Litvinovich, Lebedeva off to strong starts as Trampoline World Championships begins". International Gymnastics Federation. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Burke, Patrick (20 November 2021). "Olympic champion Litvinovich knocked out of individual event at Trampoline World Championships". Inside the Games. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Burke, Patrick (19 November 2021). "Belarus and Japan retain Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships men's and women's team titles". Inside the Games. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Belarus best at Baku Trampoline World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "FIG adopts further measures against Russia and Belarus". International Gymnastics Federation. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Gymnastics body gives neutral status to 30 Belarusians but path to Paris Olympics is still unclear". WKMG. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Baku brilliance: China shines at first Trampoline World Cup of 2024". International Gymnastics Federation. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Chinese trampolinists score a hat-trick of golds — and two more Olympic berths — in Cottbus". International Gymnastics Federation. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Newly-minted Olympic qualifiers in Trampoline Gymnastics: These nations are heading to Paris!". International Gymnastics Federation. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Individual Neutral Athletes at the Olympic Games Paris 2024". International Olympic Committee. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Trampoline: Ivan Litvinovich (AIN) retains men's Olympic title". Paris 2024. International Olympic Committee. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Peene, Sam (2 August 2024). "Ivan Litvinovich Makes History as First Man to Win Back-to-Back Olympic Titles". Paris 2024. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ Dunbar, Graham (2 August 2024). "At the 2024 Olympics, AIN hides the identity of the few Russian and Belarusian athletes". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ Kuznetsov, Dmitri (31 July 2021). "«Я подписывал письмо, что спорт вне политики». Олимпийский чемпион из Белоруссии — о ситуации в стране" [“I signed a letter that sport is outside of politics.” Olympic champion from Belarus - about the situation in the country]. Sport Express (in Russian). Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Crane, Jonathan (25 March 2024). "Russian seals Olympic spot in Germany despite visa rejection". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Oxley, Sonia (2 August 2024). "The gold & silver medals that will not be in Olympic table". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Athletes and coaches were honored in the capital. Ivan Litvinovich was awarded a certificate of honor from the Ministry of Sports". Shlyakh Peramogi (in Belarusian). 9 January 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "Прадстаўнікі сферы спорту ўзнагароджаны ордэнамі і медалямі за дасягненне высокіх спартыўных вынікаў на летніх Алімпійскіх і Паралімпійскіх гульнях у Токіа" [Sports representatives awarded with orders and medals for achieving high sports results at the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo]. President of the Republic of Belarus (in Belarusian). 14 January 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2024.