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Illia Kovtun
Ukrainian gymnast

Illia Kovtun

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
Ukrainian gymnast
A.K.A.
Ilia Kovtun Illya Kovtun Ilya Kovtun Illia Yuriiovych Kovtun
Places
Work field
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Cherkasy, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine
Age
21 years
Illia Kovtun
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Illia Yuriiovych Kovtun (Ukrainian: Ілля Юрійович Ковтун; born 10 August 2003) 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.

Junior gymnastics career

2018

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.

2019

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.

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.

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

2020

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

Senior gymnastics career

2021

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.

Illia Kovtun
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.

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.

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

2022

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. 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.

Kovtun became "an unwitting symbol of resilience and dignity" 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. At the Cairo World Cup Kovtun won his third consecutive gold medal on the parallel bars. 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.

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, before they spent the next two months in the Palestra Ginnastica Ferrara in Italy. 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. 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.

Illia Kovtun
Kovtun and his team
Illia Kovtun
Horizontal bar
Illia Kovtun
Still rings
Illia Kovtun
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. At the Szombathely Challenge Cup Kovtun earned gold on both floor exercise and parallel bars.

Illia Kovtun
Floor exercise
Illia Kovtun
Parallel bars
Illia Kovtun
Vault
Illia Kovtun
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. 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.

2023

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. At the Cairo World Cup Kovtun won gold on floor exercise, parallel bars, and horizontal bar and picked up bronze on pommel horse.

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. 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. During the parallel bars final Kovtun finished fifth.

2024

Illia Kovtun
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. He next competed at the Osijek Challenge Cup where he won gold on floor exercise and silver on parallel bars behind Lukas Dauser. 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. During the team final Kovtun contributed scores on pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar towards Ukraine's first place finish.

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. 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. 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.

Personal life

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."

Competitive history

Illia Kovtun
Kovtun and the Ukrainian delegation at the 2019 Junior World Championships
YearEventTeamAAFXPHSRVTPBHB
Junior
2014
Kyiv Open Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
2015Ukrainian Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
«Dnipro Waves» Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
Beresh Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cherkasy Regional Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
2017Barborka Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ukrainian Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ukraine International Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
3rd International Budapest1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)71st place, gold medalist(s)
Junior Japan International15
2018President's Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships51st place, gold medalist(s)
Swiss Cup Juniors1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2019Ukraine International Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)62nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Ukrainian Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Junior World Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)64
Euro Youth Olympic Festival1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)131st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Games Test Event2nd place, silver medalist(s)61st place, gold medalist(s)642nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
2020Ukraine International Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)7
Ukrainian Championship2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Kyiv Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
Senior
20211st Italian Serie A23rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2nd Italian Serie A21st place, gold medalist(s)
Ukrainian Championship41st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)43rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
3rd Italian Serie A23rd place, bronze medalist(s)
European Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)85
Ukraine International Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)61st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Varna World Challenge Cup41st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cairo World Challenge Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)83rd place, bronze medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Olympic Games711
Koper World Challenge Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)8
Mersin World Challenge Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)6
Hungarian Grand Prix1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)651st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)R27
Arthur Gander Memorial3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Swiss Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
1st German Bundesliga3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2022Cottbus World Cup42nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)5
Doha World Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)5661st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cairo World Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Baku World Cup41st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Israel Open Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
European ChampionshipsR11152nd place, silver medalist(s)
Szombathely Challenge Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships217R1
Arthur Gander Memorial1st place, gold medalist(s)
1st German Bundesliga4
2023Cottbus World Cup51st place, gold medalist(s)5
Doha World Cup51st place, gold medalist(s)5
Baku World Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)52nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships93rd place, bronze medalist(s)651st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cairo World Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Serie A1 Final Six3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Osijek Challenge Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)681st place, gold medalist(s)6
World Championships122nd place, silver medalist(s)5
1st German Bundesliga1st place, gold medalist(s)
2024Cairo World Cup81st place, gold medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup41st place, gold medalist(s)
Baku World Cup81st place, gold medalist(s)
Osijek Challenge Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)WD2nd place, silver medalist(s)
European Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)61st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Koper Challenge Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)6
Olympic Games5442nd place, silver medalist(s)

Eponymous skills

Kovtun has one skill named after him on parallel bars.

ApparatusNameDescriptionDifficultyAdded to Code of Points
Parallel BarsKovtunBack toss from upper arm with quarter turn to one railC (0.3)2021 World Cup Koper
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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