MINSK, 3 August (BelTA) - Olympic champion Ivan Litvinovich and the national trampoline team have returned to Minsk, BelTA reports.
"The victory came hard. I didn't even imagine myself on the podium. I did not watch any other athlete to perform. I could not imagine what my score would be. When I saw it on the scoreboard I was surprised," Ivan Litvinovich said.
The athlete dedicated his victory to his grandmother. "I often spent time with her, loved to talk to her. She was a good person. She supported me in everything, watched my every competition, rooted and cheered me up," the Olympic champion said. Ivan thanked all his coaches who taught him to love this sport and helped him get to the place he is now.
"The hardest part was waiting for my final performance. My mind was racing. I didn't know I was going to be on the pedestal. I thought that my maximum best would be second or third place, "Ivan Litvinovich added.
After his “golden” performance in Tokyo, the athlete received many messages. “I have not even had time to answer them all yet. There were a lot of negative ones, too. I flipped them through with a smile. Criticism means people actually watch and are interested in the sport. But there were a lot more positive ones. The feeling of being an Olympic champion has not sunk in yet. Maybe it will come later. My nearest plans are to get home, have a rest for a couple of days and then see what to do next,” Ivan said.
Ivan Litvinovich's gold in trampoline became the first medal for Team Belarus in Tokyo. The Tokyo Games champion chose Vitebsk Children's and Youth Sports School of Olympic Reserve No. 1 for the Br20,000 assistance as part of the country's Olympic Choice project. Ivan Litvinovich, who has recently turned 20, was born in the town of Vileika. He attended Vitebsk sports school No. 1 and trained under the tutelage of head coach of the Belarusian national trampoline team Olga Vlasova. In 2016, this sports school also received financial support after Belarusian trampoliner Uladzislau Hancharou, also a student of the school, claimed gold at the Rio Olympics.
Photos by Sergei Sheleg, Andrei Pokumeiko
