Ivan Stretovich - star of the future

Ivan Stretovich competes at last year's Junior European Championships

Siberian-born, 16 year old Ivan Stretovich featured on this blog last year after his appearance at the Junior European Championships, and was one of the rising stars at this month's European Youth Olympic Festival, taking bronze medals all around and on rings, in addition to gold on parallel bars.  There is something about this gymnast that I like; his competitive bearing is confident and strong, his work presented with an economy of line that reminds me of a young Dmitri Bilozerchev.  Between last year's Junior European Championships and this year's EYOF, Ivan improved his D value on parallel bars from 5.1 to 5.6, including a brand new double front with half twist out dismount.

The local Siberian sports committee has produced this video of Ivan in training.  Lupita provides a brief summary of what is said below.

Ivan Stretovich is one of the candidates to be nominated "April Russian Athlete". He is a member of the Russian junior team.
 
- My goal was to perform everything as I usually do in training. The rest doesn't depend on me. I competed and then the judges assessed my routines.

His mother took him to a gym club when he was 6.  He came first at his first competition.  He is only 16, but when you talk to him, you have the impression he has already finished school and he knows what he wants.
 
- If I didn't want it, I wouldn't do anything. Nobody pushes me.
 
After a competition he analyzes his mistakes and decides to train harder.
 
- I'll be successful next time. I work towards my goal.
 
Ivan often trains in Moscow with the other members of the team and then goes back to Novosibirsk, where his teachers help him with school assignments.

See Ivan's EYOF results here.

Ivan's gold medal winning parallel bars exercise