He Won Olympic Gold, But Can’t Celebrate…😔🥇 | Ivan Litvinovich

This might be the loneliest Olympic champion of all time. He had just won gold and expected to be celebrated, but instead, his country’s flag was banned and his national anthem was replaced. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ivan Linovich had to compete alone as a neutral athlete because Russia was banned from participating. He wasn’t allowed to wear his country’s uniform, and the medal he won didn’t even officially count. While every other athlete stood proudly for their nations, no one paid attention to him. No interviews. No celebration. Just silence. After the ceremony, he sat alone in his chair, until athletes from the Chinese team came over to give him a hug. A moment of victory that felt like anything but.