Croatian gymnast Ilja Kovtun wins two European golds, eyes World Championships

Croatian gymnast Ilja Kovtun concluded the European Championships in Zagreb with an impressive haul of two gold medals and two fourth-place finishes. The 23-year-old, who was born in Ukraine but has been living and training in Osijek, Croatia, for four years, showcased exceptional form. His victories came in the all-around competition and on his strongest apparatus, the parallel bars. This performance marks a significant achievement, especially as it's his first major competition after a two-year hiatus due to a change in citizenship. Kovtun's gold on parallel bars was his third European title on the apparatus, having previously won in Antalya in 2023 and Rimini in 2024 while representing Ukraine. He also holds a European silver from Munich 2022 and an Olympic silver from Paris. Despite his success, Kovtun remained focused, stating, "What celebration, I'm going to sleep." He explained that he needed rest after competing in a large arena for the first time in a while and that his routine on parallel bars was not his full-difficulty routine due to a blister. He plans to perform his 6.0 start-value routine at the World Championships in Rotterdam in two months. In the floor exercise and horizontal bar events, Kovtun narrowly missed medals, finishing fourth. He attributed a mistake on the horizontal bar to a missed element, which resulted in a lower start value. The enthusiastic crowd in Zagreb, which included many children, inspired Kovtun, who hopes his performance motivates young gymnasts. Following a week of rest, Kovtun will compete in the World Cup in Paris and another club competition as preparation for the World Championships.

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What celebration, I'm going to sleep.