Illia Kovtun wins double European gold for Croatia after journey from Ukraine
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Illia Kovtun was received by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina (Photo: Vlada Republike Hrvatske)
ZAGREB, 25 August 2026 (Hina/CW/Vlada) Illia Kovtun has begun his career under the Croatian flag in remarkable fashion, winning two gold medals at the recent European Gymnastics Championships held in Zagreb.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian-born gymnast first claimed the European all-around title before adding gold on the parallel bars, scoring 14.700 in the final. The all-around gold medal was a first for Croatia.
Kovtun, who had also recorded the highest qualifying score on the apparatus, produced a routine with a difficulty score of 5.8 and execution score of 8.8, receiving an additional 0.1 bonus for his stuck dismount.
The victory marked his third European parallel bars title, following his successes in Antalya in 2023 and Rimini in 2024, when he represented Ukraine. He also won European silver in Munich in 2022 and Olympic silver on the parallel bars at Paris 2024.
But Kovtun’s arrival in Croatian gymnastics has been the result of a much longer journey, as Sportske novosti revealed.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vladimir Mađarević, then president of the Croatian Gymnastics Federation’s Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee and now Croatia’s national coach, invited Ukrainian gymnasts to train at Osijek’s Sokol Centre.
Kovtun and his coach, Irina Nadiuk Gorbachova, eventually remained in Osijek after other members of the Ukrainian group returned home or moved elsewhere. Croatia provided them with accommodation, food and training facilities while the war continued.
Over time, Osijek became Kovtun’s home. He continued to train there and represented Ukraine at major competitions, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he won silver on the parallel bars and finished fourth in the all-around competition.
After the Olympics, Kovtun decided to pursue Croatian citizenship and eventually represent his adopted country.
The process was not straightforward. Although the Croatian procedure took around six months, the change of sporting nationality required additional approval on the Ukrainian side.
As a result, Kovtun was unable to compete at official International Gymnastics Federation competitions from July 2025 until July 2026. He maintained his competitive rhythm by competing in club leagues in France, Italy and Germany.
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His eligibility was finally restored on 26 July 2026, just weeks before the European Championships in Zagreb.
His first appearance for Croatia has now produced two European titles.
Now competing for Croatia, Kovtun has begun a new chapter in his career with the country where he has spent the past several years training and building his life. His success in Zagreb also gives Croatia one of the world’s leading all-around gymnasts as it looks towards future European, World and Olympic competitions.
