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Disabled Armenian Athlete Completes LA Marathon

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  • Disabled Armenian Athlete Completes LA Marathon

    Pyunic - Armenian Association for the Disabled
    6606 Cantaloupe Avenue
    Van Nuys, CA 91405
    818.785.3468

    NEWS RELEASE

    March 11, 2005

    Contact: Sarkis Ghazarian
    818.785.3468


    DISABLED ARMENIAN ATHLETE COMPLETES LA MARATHON


    Glendale, CA (March 11) - Pyunic, the Armenian Association for the
    Disabled, is proud to announce that Greta Khandzrtyan, an above the
    knee double amputee from Armenia, completed the 26-mile wheelchair
    division of the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 6, 2005 in 3
    hours and 19 minutes.

    `I am thrilled to have finished my second Los Angeles Marathon and
    proud to be able to show that a person can accomplish any goal
    regardless of their physical disabilities,' said Khandzrtyan, 18.

    Khandzrtyan's determination was put to the test upon passing the
    5-mile marker. She fell out of her racing wheelchair when her waist
    strap came apart. After recovering from the fall, she was assisted
    back into her wheelchair by spectators. However, Khandzrtyan was not
    able to race at full speed as part of her chair's wheel frame had
    bent.

    At the 22nd mile mark, Lorig Sivazlian, a Pyunic-LA member, briefly
    joined the race. Upon seeing Khandzrtyan approach, Sivazlian moved
    from the sidewalk and ran alongside the racer shouting words of
    encouragement. `I received an extra burst of energy by seeing Lorig
    and the three other Pyunic supporters,' add Khandzrtyan.

    Founded in 1989 to help the disabled children of the 1988 earthquake
    in Armenia, Pyunic is the leading non-governmental organization
    shaping public awareness for the disabled. Pyunic provides
    humanitarian aid, social services, career training and summer/winter
    teaching camps. Pyunic athletes have competed in numerous worldwide
    athletic competitions, including the Los Angeles Marathon and both
    summer and winter Paralympics since 1994.

    For more information about Pyunic, please contact Sarkis Ghazarian at
    818.785.3468 or visit www.pyunic.com.

    Pyunic, the Armenian Association for the Disabled, is a 501(c)(3)
    non-profit organization dedicated to assisting, supporting and shaping
    public awareness for the disabled in the Republic of Armenia.

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