Wikipedia

Illia Kovtun

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yuriiovych and the family name is Kovtun.

Illia Yuriiovych Kovtun (Ukrainian: Ілля Юрійович Ковтун; born 10 August 2003)[1] is a Ukrainian artistic gymnast. He is the 2023 World all-around silver medalist and 2021 World all-around bronze medalist. Kovtun also won the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics on parallel bars. At the European Championships he is the 2023 European champion on parallel bars as well as a one-time silver medalist (2022 parallel bars) and a three-time bronze medalist (2021 and 2023 all-around, 2023 horizontal bar). Additionally he is a two-time junior world championships medalist.

Illia Kovtun
Ілля Ковтун
Kovtun at the 2022 European Championships
Personal information
Born (2003-08-10) 10 August 2003 (age 21)
Cherkasy, Ukraine
HometownCherkasy, Ukraine
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Ukraine
Years on national team2017–present (UKR)
LevelSenior international elite
ClubCentral Sports Club of the Armed Forces, Sokol Osijek
Head coach(es)Iryna Gorbacheva
Eponymous skills"Kovtun" (Parallel Bars) Back toss from upper arm with quarter turn to one rail (C)
Medal record
Representing  Ukraine
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 1 0
World Championships 0 1 1
European Championships 4 1 3
Junior World Championships 0 1 1
Junior European Championships 6 1 0
European Youth Olympic Festival 4 1 0
Total 14 6 5
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Parallel Bars
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Antwerp All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Kitakyushu All-Around
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Antalya Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rimini Team
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rimini Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rimini Horizontal Bar
Silver medal – second place 2022 Munich Parallel Bars
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Basel All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Antalya All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Antalya Horizontal Bar
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Győr Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Győr All-Around
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Cup 12 4 3
World Challenge Cup 13 5 4
Total 25 9 7

Junior gymnastics career

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2018

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Kovtun competed at the 2018 European Championships where he helped Ukraine finish fifth in the team finals. Individually he won the junior title on the parallel bars.[2]

2019

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Kovtun competed at the Stella Zakharova Cup where he placed first in the junior all-around division. He was selected to represent Ukraine at the inaugural junior World Championships alongside Nazar Chepurnyi and Volodymyr Kostiuk. Together they finished second as a team behind Japan. Individually he won the bronze medal in the all-around behind Shinnosuke Oka and Ryosuke Doi. During event finals Kovtun finished sixth on pommel horse and fourth on parallel bars.[1][3][4]

Kovtun next competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, again alongside Chepurnyi and Kostiuk. They won gold as a team and individually Kovtun won gold in the all-around and on parallel bars and horizontal bar; additionally he won silver on floor exercise behind Chepurnyi.

 
Introduction
 
Pommel horse
 
Parallel bars
 
Horizontal bar
Kovtun at the 2019 Junior World Championships

2020

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Kovtun competed at the 2020 European Championships held in Mersin, Turkey. While there he led the Ukrainian junior team to gold.[5][6] Individually he won gold in the all-around and on pommel horse, rings, and parallel bars.[6][7] He also won the silver medal in the junior vault event.[8]

Senior gymnastics career

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2021

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Kovtun turned senior in 2021 and made his senior international debut at the 2021 European Championships. He won the bronze medal in the all-around competition behind Nikita Nagornyy and David Belyavskiy. Kovtun next competed at the World Challenge Cups in Varna and Cairo; he picked up five gold medals and two bronze medals.

 
Kovtun at the 2020 Olympic Games

Due to the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Kovtun was age-eligible to compete at them in 2021. He was named to represent Ukraine alongside Petro Pakhnyuk, Ihor Radivilov, and Yevhen Yudenkov. They qualified to the team final and individually Kovtun qualified to the all-around final. During the team final Kovtun competed on floor exercise, pommel horse, parallel bars, and high bar, contributing towards Ukraine's seventh-place finish. During the all-around final Kovtun finished 11th.

After the Olympic Games Kovtun returned to competition at the World Challenge Cups in Koper and Mersin where he picked up an additional gold and bronze medal and three silvers. He ended up winning the series titles on floor exercise, pommel horse, and parallel bars.[9]

In October Kovtun competed at the 2021 World Championships where he won the all-around bronze medal behind Zhang Boheng and Hashimoto Daiki. Additionally he placed seventh on horizontal bar. He next competed at the Arthur Gander Memorial where he placed third behind Yul Moldauer and Nikita Nagornyy. Kovtun then competed at the Swiss Cup where he was partnered with Yelyzaveta Hubareva; they finished second behind the Russian team of Nagornyy and Angelina Melnikova.[10]

In December Kovtun was awarded with the title Merited Master of Sports of Ukraine.[11]

2022

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Kovtun competed at the Cottbus World Cup in February. On the first day of qualifications Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Kovtun's home country of Ukraine. Despite news of the ongoing war, Kovtun won gold on parallel bars and silver on pommel horse and finished fourth and fifth on floor exercise and horizontal bar respectively.[12] Kovtun next competed at the Doha World Cup where he qualified to all six apparatus event finals. On the first day of event finals he won silver on floor exercise behind Artem Dolgopyat and placed fifth and sixth on pommel horse and rings respectively. On the second day of event finals he won gold on parallel bars and bronze on horizontal bar behind Alexander Myakinin and Robert Tvorogal and placed sixth on vault.[13]

Kovtun became "an unwitting symbol of resilience and dignity"[14] when, during the medal ceremony for the parallel bars, Russian gymnast and bronze medalist Ivan Kuliak taunted Kovtun by wearing a Z on his chest - a symbol of support for the Russian invasion. Kovtun did not visibly react to the taunt, and Kuliak was heavily sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation.[15][16] At the Cairo World Cup Kovtun won his third consecutive gold medal on the parallel bars.[17] Kovtun finished the World Cup circuit competing at the Baku World Cup. He won his fourth consecutive gold medal on the parallel bars, completing a clean sweep of the titles. Additionally he won the bronze on horizontal bar.[18]

Due to the ongoing war, Kovtun did not return to Ukraine. His team was given shelter by gymnastics clubs in European countries where they could train in exile and prepare for future competitions. For the first couple of days, the refugees were hosted by Blau-Weiss Buchholz, a German club,[19] before they spent the next two months in the Palestra Ginnastica Ferrara in Italy.[20][21] From their temporary training places the team participated in national and international competitions. Kovtun competed several times for the Monaco gymnastics club in the French league.[22] In the middle of June 2022, the group of about 15 people including coaches and few family members moved to a gym in Osijek, Croatia.

 
Kovtun and his team
 
Horizontal bar
 
Still rings
 
Cleaning up the gym hall
Kovtun in a training session in the Italian exile (more photos)

In August Kovtun competed at the European Championships. On the first day of competition he finished eleventh in the all-around and helped Ukraine finish ninth as a team during qualifications. Although they didn't qualify for the team final they qualified a whole team to compete at the upcoming World Championships. Individually Kovtun qualified for the floor exercise and parallel bars finals. During the floor exercise final Kovtun finished fifth. During the parallel bars final Kovtun recorded the highest score, a 15.333, but lost a tie-break to Joe Fraser of the United Kingdom and took home the silver medal.[23] At the Szombathely Challenge Cup Kovtun earned gold on both floor exercise and parallel bars.[24]

 
Floor exercise
 
Parallel bars
 
Vault
 
Parallel bars medal podium
Kovtun at the 2022 European Championships (more photos)

In late October through early November Kovtun competed at the World Championships. While there he qualified to the all-around final and was the first reserve for the parallel bars final. He finished seventh in the all-around.[25] He next competed at the Arthur Gander Memorial where he placed first in the four-event all-around despite a rough start on floor exercise.[26]

2023

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Kovtun competed at the World Cups in Cottbus, Doha, and Baku. He won gold on parallel bars in Cottbus and Doha and silver in Baku behind Carlos Yulo. Additionally he won silver on floor exercise behind Milad Karimi in Baku. At the European Championships Kovtun became the European Champion on parallel bars, which is his first major title in his senior career. Additionally he won bronze in the all-around and on horizontal bar.[27][28][29] At the Cairo World Cup Kovtun won gold on floor exercise, parallel bars, and horizontal bar and picked up bronze on pommel horse.[30]

In October Kovtun competed at the 2023 World Championships alongside Nazar Chepurnyi, Igor Radivilov, Radomyr Stelmakh, and Oleg Verniaiev. During qualifications they finished twelfth as a team and qualified a full team to the 2024 Olympic Games. Individually Kovtun qualified to the all-around and parallel bar finals. During the all-around final Kovtun finished second behind reigning World Champion Daiki Hashimoto.[31] In winning the silver medal, Kovtun set the record for Ukraine's highest all-around placement at the World Championships, beating the record Verniaiev set in 2019 and Kovtun himself matched in 2021.[32] During the parallel bars final Kovtun finished fifth.

2024

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Kovtun with his Olympic silver medal at Paris 2024

Kovtun competed at the World Cups in Cairo, Cottbus, and Baku; he won gold on the parallel bars at each competition.[33][34][35] He next competed at the Osijek Challenge Cup where he won gold on floor exercise and silver on parallel bars behind Lukas Dauser.[36] In late April Kovtun competed at the European Championships alongside Nazar Chepurnyi, Igor Radivilov, Radomyr Stelmakh, and Oleg Verniaiev; together they qualified to the team final in first place and individually Kovtun qualified to the parallel bars and horizontal bars finals. Additionally Kovtun finished sixth in the all-around. During event finals Kovtun won gold on both apparatuses.[37] During the team final Kovtun contributed scores on pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar towards Ukraine's first place finish.[38]

Kovtun competed at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside Chepurnyi, Radivilov, Stelmakh, and Verniaiev. During the qualification round Kovtun helped Ukraine qualify to the team final and individually he qualified to the all-around, floor exercise, and parallel bars finals. During the team final Kovtun contributed scores on all apparatuses except vault towards Ukraine's fifth place finish.[39] During the all-around final Kovtun competed cleanly on all six apparatuses, finishing the event in fourth place, just 0.199 points behind bronze medalist Xiao Ruoteng.[40] In the parallel bars final Kovtun earned a score of 15.500 to win the silver medal behind reigning Olympic parallel bars champion Zou Jingyuan.[41]

Personal life

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Kovtun was born in Cherkasy on 10 August 2003. His parents enrolled him in gymnastics classes at the age of three, which he attended with his older sister. He speaks both Ukrainian and Russian, and his hobbies include helping other people, recreational activities, and listening to music. His gymnastics heroes include fellow Ukrainians Oleg Verniaiev and Igor Radivilov, both of whom have also competed in the Olympic Games. His personal philosophy is reported to be, "Enjoy the moment, here and now."[42]

Competitive history

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Kovtun and the Ukrainian delegation at the 2019 Junior World Championships
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
Junior
2014
Kyiv Open Championships  
2015 Ukrainian Championships    
«Dnipro Waves» Championships  
Beresh Cup  
Cherkasy Regional Championships  
2017 Barborka Cup    
Ukrainian Championships    
Ukraine International Cup            
3rd International Budapest           7  
Junior Japan International 15
2018 President's Cup  
European Championships 5  
Swiss Cup Juniors    
2019 Ukraine International Cup     6          
Ukrainian Championships              
Junior World Championships     6 4
Euro Youth Olympic Festival       13    
European Games Test Event   6   6 4    
2020 Ukraine International Cup            
European Championships             7
Ukrainian Championship                
Kyiv Championships  
Senior
2021 1st Italian Serie A2  
2nd Italian Serie A2  
Ukrainian Championship 4       4    
3rd Italian Serie A2  
European Championships   8 5
Ukraine International Cup         6    
Varna World Challenge Cup 4    
Cairo World Challenge Cup     8      
Olympic Games 7 11
Koper World Challenge Cup     8
Mersin World Challenge Cup       6
Hungarian Grand Prix     6 5    
World Championships   R2 7
Arthur Gander Memorial  
Swiss Cup  
1st German Bundesliga  
2022 Cottbus World Cup 4     5
Doha World Cup   5 6 6    
Cairo World Cup  
Baku World Cup 4    
Israel Open Championships    
European Championships R1 11 5  
Szombathely Challenge Cup    
World Championships 21 7 R1
Arthur Gander Memorial  
1st German Bundesliga 4
2023 Cottbus World Cup 5   5
Doha World Cup 5   5
Baku World Cup   5  
European Championships 9   6 5    
Cairo World Cup        
Serie A1 Final Six  
Osijek Challenge Cup   6 8   6
World Championships 12   5
1st German Bundesliga  
2024 Cairo World Cup 8  
Cottbus World Cup 4  
Baku World Cup 8  
Osijek Challenge Cup   WD  
European Championships   6    
Koper Challenge Cup         6
Olympic Games 5 4 4  
Arthur Gander Memorial  

Eponymous skills

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Kovtun has one skill named after him on parallel bars.

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty Added to Code of Points
Parallel Bars Kovtun Back toss from upper arm with quarter turn to one rail C (0.3) 2021 World Cup Koper

References

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  1. ^ a b "2019 Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships". International Gymnastics Federation.
  2. ^ "2018 European Championships Men's Results". The Gymternet. 13 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Oka wins all-around title as Japan dominate opening day of Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ "GYMNASTICS: Russia and Japan shine in first World Junior Championships; di Cello wins gold on Vault". The Sports Examiner. 30 June 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020.
  5. ^ Berkeley, Geoff (9 December 2020). "Ukraine claim junior team title on first day of European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Ukraine crowned junior European team Champions!". European Gymnastics. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  7. ^ Berkeley, Geoff (11 December 2020). "Kovtun wins junior all-around gold at European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  8. ^ Berkeley, Geoff (13 December 2020). "Turkey end home European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships with historic double". InsideTheGames.biz. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Kovtun and Derek triumph with World Challenge Cup Series titles". International Gymnastics Federation. 15 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Angelina Melnikova and Nikita Nagornyy lead Russian Federation to Swiss Cup win in Zurich". International Olympic Committee. 7 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Черкаський гімнаст став "Заслуженим майстром спорту України"". 6 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Two titles for Ukrainian gymnasts as Cottbus kicks off World Cup season". International Gymnastics Federation. 28 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Illia Kovtun wins gold, silver and bronze at the World Cup in Doha". International Gymnastics Federation. 7 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Ukraine's Illia Kovtun: 'God is with us and the truth is on our side'". 10 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak shows pro-war 'z' symbol on podium". ESPN. 7 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Incident at the Doha World Cup – FIG statement". International Gymnastics Federation. 6 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Armenia and Ukraine win double gold at World Cup of Cairo". International Gymnast. 20 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Kovtun's fourth consecutive title leads Ukraine to distinction at Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 4 April 2022.
  19. ^ Sander, Oliver (6 April 2022). "Ukrainische Spitzenturner zu Gast bei Blau-Weiss Buchholz". Kreiszeitung Wochenblatt. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Ucraina: Ferrara ospita gli atleti di ginnastica artistica". Ansa.it Emilia Romagna. ANSA.it. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  21. ^ Irene, Righetti (19 April 2022). "Illia Kovtun, ginnasta ucraino, si racconta: "Lo sport deve unirci". Gazzetta. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  22. ^ Jérémie, Bernigole-Stroh (2 May 2022). "TOP 12 : QUALIFIÉE, L'ETOILE DE MONACO AFFRONTERA ANTIBES EN DEMI-FINALE !". Codesport Monaco.
  23. ^ "Dolgopyat, Merdinyan, Petrounias, Jarman, Fraser and Georgiou crowned apparatus Champions at #Munich2022". European Gymnastics. 21 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Hungary, Japan, Canada sizzle at Szombathely World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 3 October 2022.
  25. ^ "2022 World Championships Men's Results". The Gymternet. 9 November 2022.
  26. ^ "D'Amato, Kovtun Win Memorial Gander Titles". The Gymternet. 23 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Gymnasts from seven nations snag titles at Cottbus World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2023.
  28. ^ "Maneca-Voinea mania takes hold in Doha after Romanian's double gold debut". International Gymnastics Federation. 6 March 2023.
  29. ^ "French gymnasts, Carlos Yulo rise triumphant at Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 13 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Kovtun, Roberson adorned in gold at Cairo World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 2 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Japan's Hashimoto wins second all-around world title". Reuters. 5 October 2023.
  32. ^ "The MAG Record Breakers in Antwerp". The Gymternet. 13 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Olympic qualification is on as 2024 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup series comes alive in Cairo". International Gymnastics Federation. 20 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Champions in Cottbus! All the thrills from a World Cup weekend to remember". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2024.
  35. ^ "Golden celebrations and Olympic qualifications: Who did what at the Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 11 March 2024.
  36. ^ "French Olympic hopefuls flex at Osijek World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Jarman and Kovtun Win European Titles on Day Two of Apparatus Finals in Rimini". International Olympic Committee. 27 April 2024.
  38. ^ "Ukraine rallies to win senior team title as men's European Championships conclude". International Gymnast Media. 28 April 2024.
  39. ^ "Dramatic finish sweeps Japanese men to Paris 2024 Olympic team title". International Gymnastics Federation. 29 July 2024.
  40. ^ "Oka Shinnosuke extends Japan's reign of triumph in men's Olympic All-Around". International Gymnastics Federation. 31 July 2024.
  41. ^ "Ukrainian gymnast Kovtun wins silver in Paris Olympics". The Kyiv Independent. 5 August 2024.
  42. ^ "KOVTUN Illia - FIG Athlete Profile".
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