Ivan Uladzimiravich Litvinovich (; born 26 June 2001) is a Belarusian

trampoline gymnast Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic Games, Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle posit ...

. 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 The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, 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 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) and the 2021 European champion in the individual team event, and he is the 2019 World individual silver medalist.

Early life

Litvinovich began

trampoline gymnastics Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more co ...

at age eight. Prior to that, he trained in

acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive discipline of gymnastics where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform routines consisting of acrobatic skills, dance and tumbling, set to music. The sport is governed by the International Feder ...

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 Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

Career

2017–18

Litvinovich finished fourth as an individual in the 15-16 age group at the 2017 World Age Group Competition, and he won a silver medal in synchronized trampoline (synchro) with Daniil Valyntsau. At the 2018 Junior European Championships, he won the gold medal in the individual event. He then competed in the individual trampoline and mixed multi-discipline team events at the

2018 Summer Youth Olympics The 2018 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the III Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Buenos Aires 2018, were an international multi-sport event, sports, cultural, and educational event held from 6 to 18 October 2018 ...

in Buenos Aires, without winning a medal. In the individual event, he qualified to compete in the final in first place, but he finished in fourth place due to minor mistakes. He finished seventh in the individual event at the 2018 World Championships.

2019

Litvinovich competed in synchro with Mikita Fomchanka at the Valladolid World Cup, winning the bronze medal. He then won the silver medal in the individual event at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

held in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, behind China's Gao Lei. With this result, he earned an Olympic trampoline berth for Belarus. 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 VTB Bank (; formerly known as ''Vneshtorgbank'', , lit. 'International Trade Bank') is a Russian majority state-owned bank headquartered in various federal districts of Russia; its legal address is registered as St. Petersburg. As of 2022, o ...

Prize for accuracy and elegance.

2020–21

Litvinovich won the silver medal behind Gao Lei by less than three-tenths of a point at the 2020 Baku World Cup. He did not compete at any other major international events in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. At the 2021 European Championships in

Sochi, Russia Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Southern Russia, with a population ...

, he won the gold medal in the team event alongside Uladzislau Hancharou, Aleh Rabtsau, and Aliaksei Dudarau. Heading into the postponed

2020 Olympic Games The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, Litvinovich was considered a "

dark horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

" contender for the gold medal. He finished in first place in the qualification round. He then won the gold medal in the individual trampoline final, ahead of China's

Dong Dong Dong Dong ( zh, s=董栋, p=Dǒng Dòng; born April 13, 1989, in Zhengzhou, Henan) is a Chinese trampoline gymnast. He is an Olympic champion and four-time medalist, winning gold at London 2012, silver at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and bronze at B ...

and New Zealand's

Dylan Schmidt Dylan Matthew Schmidt (born 7 January 1997) is a New Zealand trampoline gymnast. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and finished in seventh place. He was New Zealand's first athlete to compete in trampoline at the Olympic Games. At the 202 ...

. This marked a second consecutive men's trampoline title for Belarus, following Uladzislau Hancharou's win in 2016. This was the only gold medal Belarus won at the 2020 Olympics. At the 2021 World Championships, Litvinovich qualified for the semifinals in first place. However, in the semifinals, he was unable to finish his routine and failed to qualify for the final. He helped Belarus defend its World team title.

2022–24

In February 2022, Litvinovich competed at the Baku World Cup and won the individual title in addition to winning the synchro title with Andrei Builou. In March 2022, the

International Gymnastics Federation The International Gymnastics Federation ( French: ''Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique'', abbr. FIG) is the body governing competition in all disciplines of gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on 23 ...

(FIG) banned Russian and Belarussian athletes due to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. In 2024, the FIG approved certain athletes as "neutral" to return to international competition, and Litvinovich was one of 14 approved. Litvinovich returned to competition at the 2024 Baku World Cup, winning the bronze medal in the individual event. He also won the individual bronze medal at the 2024 Cottbus World Cup. He won a quota for the

2024 Olympic Games The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

with his results in the 2024 World Cup series. In June, he was approved to compete as an Individual Neutral Athlete by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

. 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 Yan Langyu (; born 31 August 1999) is a Chinese trampoline gymnast. He is the 2021 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, 2021 and 2023 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, 2023 World champion in individual trampoline. He is also the 20 ...

. He became the first male trampoline gymnast to win two gold medals at the Olympic Games. He was the only one out of the 32

Individual Neutral Athletes Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) are a capacity under which athletes can compete at international sporting competitions without representing their nations, as is standard convention under the Olympic Charter. ...

to win a gold medal.

Political views

After the

2020 Belarusian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Central Election Commissi ...

and the

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

following the re-election of

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...

, Litvinovich signed an open letter in support of Lukashenko. Since 2024, his participation in competitions as a "neutral" athlete has been questioned by the media. At the

, he declined to answer questions about his previous support of Lukashenko. On 17 September 2024, Litvinovich alongside other state officials, including military, attended the official ceremony at the Palace of Independence where he was presented with state awards by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Awards

He received a Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Sports and Tourism in 2020 following his medals at the 2019 World Championships. In 2022, he received the Order of the Fatherland, III degree for his Olympic gold medal. He then received the Order of the Fatherland, II degree in 2024 for winning his second Olympic gold medal.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Litvinovich, Ivan 2001 births Living people Belarusian male trampolinists Olympic gymnasts as Individual Neutral Athletes Olympic gold medalists for Belarus Olympic medalists in gymnastics Gymnasts at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics Gymnasts at the 2020 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships People from Vileyka district Sportspeople from Minsk region 21st-century Belarusian sportsmen