Legendary gymnast Ivan Ivankov unexpectedly appeared in Minsk after many years in the United States and missed the "greatness of the USSR."
One of the most decorated Belarusian gymnasts of the past, 50-year-old Ivan Ivankov, suddenly appeared in Minsk. The athlete made his first public appearance in a long time and held a training session for young gymnasts at his former school. At the same time, he reflected on the glorious past and the current political moment, writes Tribuna.
In an interview with "Stop-kadra," Ivankov quickly transitioned to nostalgia for the "great times of the USSR":
"We were 30 years ahead of everyone. After the injury, I had the honor of representing the huge country of the USSR. It was very responsible and cool at the same time. In fact, everyone in the world was afraid of us - the honor of the state could not be let down. When we arrived there, everyone was 200% ready."
A separate section was dedicated to complaints about the neutral status of Belarusian athletes. Ivankov called it "humiliation" and is sure that international federations are simply "putting a spoke in the wheels." He did not mention a single word about the events after which Belarus had to start performing in this status.
Ivan Ivankov expressed himself about modern gymnastics as follows:
"Of course, it is not easy for us now. Almost everything needs to be revived. We need to train people who can show a winning result. Perhaps we need the experience of previous coaches. I believe that we will be able to reach a decent level. Maybe it won't happen right away, but it will happen."
After completing his career at the age of 32 and five Achilles surgeries, Ivankov left for the USA. There he works as the head coach of a gymnastics club in Houston, where children from 6 to 17 years old train.
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