Ivan Ivankov
Encyclopedia
Ivan Ivankov is an artistic gymnast who competed for Belarus
. The 1994 and 1997 all-around World Champion and the 1994 and 1996 all-around European Champion, Ivankov has competed for over a decade on the international circuit. Despite his numerous achievements at the World Championships, Europeans and other events, Ivankov has suffered a string of misfortunes at the Olympics, and has never won an Olympic medal.
, Belarus
in 1975. He began gymnastics at the age of 6 and by the time he was 14, was a member of the Soviet national junior team, training at the prestigious Round Lake national gymnastics center.
Ivankov established himself as a top up-and-coming gymnast at the 1991 Junior European Championships in Greece
, where he won the all-around, pommel horse
, high bar, vault
and still rings
titles and earned a silver medals on the floor exercise.
, where he placed 13th in the all-around. He competed in his first World Championships in 1993, where he won a bronze medal on the rings.
1994 was Ivankov's breakout year. At the 1994 World Championships
in Brisbane
, he won the all-around gold, defeating reigning Olympic champion and teammate Vitaly Scherbo
in the process. The same year, he won his first all-around senior European Championships title and placed well in other international competitions.
Competing on the vault in Brisbane, Ivankov suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon
. The injury forced him to miss the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, but he recovered sufficiently to win his second European Championships in 1996 and was considered to be a major medal threat for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. However, after arriving in Atlanta, Ivankov's Achilles snapped
as he was walking across a parking lot, ending his Olympic bid.
in New York
.
In 2001, he led the Belarusian team to the gold medal at the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. Individually he finished second all-around, just shy from an unprecedented third world all-around title.
Two years later, Belarus finished 13th at the World Championships in Anaheim, failing to qualify a full team to the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Ivankov competed in Athens as an individual.
After competing at the 2005 and 2006 World Championships, Ivankov decided to retire from international competition. He still performs in exhibitions worldwide.
and coached at the Bart Conner
Gymnastics Academy. He remains in contact with his former Soviet and Belorussian teammates, and in 2001, was named the godfather to good friend Alexei Nemov
's son.
In 2009, he accepted a coaching job at the University of Illinois.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The 1994 and 1997 all-around World Champion and the 1994 and 1996 all-around European Champion, Ivankov has competed for over a decade on the international circuit. Despite his numerous achievements at the World Championships, Europeans and other events, Ivankov has suffered a string of misfortunes at the Olympics, and has never won an Olympic medal.
Early life and career
Ivankov was born in MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
in 1975. He began gymnastics at the age of 6 and by the time he was 14, was a member of the Soviet national junior team, training at the prestigious Round Lake national gymnastics center.
Ivankov established himself as a top up-and-coming gymnast at the 1991 Junior European Championships in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, where he won the all-around, pommel horse
Pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles .- History :The pommel...
, high bar, vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
and still rings
Rings (gymnastics)
The rings, also known as still rings , is an artistic gymnastics apparatus and the event that uses it. It is traditionally used only by male gymnasts, due to its extreme upper-body strength requirements...
titles and earned a silver medals on the floor exercise.
1992-1996
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ivankov began representing Belarus. He competed at both the 1992 Junior European Championships, where he helped the Belorussian team to a gold medal finish, and the senior European Championships in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, where he placed 13th in the all-around. He competed in his first World Championships in 1993, where he won a bronze medal on the rings.
1994 was Ivankov's breakout year. At the 1994 World Championships
1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Brisbane, Australia from 19–24 April 1994.Only the all-around and apparatus events were contested at this meet. A team World Championships meet was held in Dortmund, Germany in November 1994...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, he won the all-around gold, defeating reigning Olympic champion and teammate Vitaly Scherbo
Vitaly Scherbo
Vitaly Venediktovich Scherbo , born 13 January 1972 in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, is a Belarusian and former Soviet artistic gymnast...
in the process. The same year, he won his first all-around senior European Championships title and placed well in other international competitions.
Competing on the vault in Brisbane, Ivankov suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
. The injury forced him to miss the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, but he recovered sufficiently to win his second European Championships in 1996 and was considered to be a major medal threat for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. However, after arriving in Atlanta, Ivankov's Achilles snapped
Achilles tendon rupture
The Achilles tendon is the most commonly injured tendon. Rupture can occur while performing actions requiring explosive acceleration, such as pushing off or jumping...
as he was walking across a parking lot, ending his Olympic bid.
1997-2004
Ivankov's Achilles injury required serious rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery and muscle grafts, and months of physical therapy. His condition was considered to be career-ending, however, only a year after rupturing his Achilles, Ivankov returned to win his second all-around gold medal at the 1997 World Championships. One year later, he won the all-around at the Goodwill GamesGoodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In 2001, he led the Belarusian team to the gold medal at the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. Individually he finished second all-around, just shy from an unprecedented third world all-around title.
Two years later, Belarus finished 13th at the World Championships in Anaheim, failing to qualify a full team to the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Ivankov competed in Athens as an individual.
After competing at the 2005 and 2006 World Championships, Ivankov decided to retire from international competition. He still performs in exhibitions worldwide.
Personal life
In 2001 Ivankov married Suzyanna, an aerobics instructor and Belorussian television personality. They divorced in 2007 and he remarried the same year. In recent years he resided in OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and coached at the Bart Conner
Bart Conner
Bart Wayne Conner is a former American gymnast who, as a member of the gold medal-winning men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games won an individual gold on the parallel bars...
Gymnastics Academy. He remains in contact with his former Soviet and Belorussian teammates, and in 2001, was named the godfather to good friend Alexei Nemov
Alexei Nemov
Alexei Yurievich Nemov is a gymnast from Russia and one of the most medaled gymnasts, male or female, of all time. He has won 12 Olympic medals, including more Olympic bronze medals than any other athlete. Nemov's sense of showmanship and his difficult routines have won him many fans...
's son.
In 2009, he accepted a coaching job at the University of Illinois.