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Armenia's Olympic Athletes In London

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  • Armenia's Olympic Athletes In London

    ARMENIA'S OLYMPIC ATHLETES IN LONDON

    Asbarez
    Thursday, July 26th, 2012

    On Tuesday the Armenian National Olympic Committee hosted a sendoff
    for Team Armenia

    LONDON-Athletes representing Armenia in the Olympic Games arrived in
    London where they will be competing in a variety of sports, including
    boxing, weightlifting, wrestling judo, swimming, gymnastics, shooting,
    track & field and taekwondo.

    The 25-person team includes four women, two of whom will compete in
    weightlifting and the other two in swimming and track each. On the
    men's side, seven will compete in wrestling, six in weightlifting,
    four in track & field, two in swimming, two in judo and one each in
    boxing, taekwondo, gymnastics and shooting.

    President Serzh Sarkisian also left for London Thursday to attend the
    opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, which will be held on Friday.

    Prior to his departure, Sarkisian issued an encouraging statement to
    the athletes.

    "Our compatriots in Armenia and the Diaspora will attentively follow
    your performances. I believe you will meet the expectations, and will
    join Olympic champions and prize winners from Armenia and find your
    place in the history book of Armenian athletics," said Sarkisian in
    his statement.

    "I am confident that you will represent our country with honor, embark
    on fair competition, fully demonstrate your skills, and protect the
    honor of Armenia's athletic flag," said Sarkisian, who added that he
    would like to become an "eyewitness of your victories to share with
    you the joy of triumph."

    Armenia took away six bronze medals in the 2008 Beijing Games. This
    time, too, they are looking to come back winners.

    Boxer Andranik Hakobyan, told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am)
    on Wednesday before leaving for London that he is in good form and
    aiming for an Olympic medal. "We are going [to London] with high
    expectations," said Hakobyan. "We should try to do our utmost to
    return home with a medal."

    The youngest of the Olympic team members are 18-year-old swimmer
    Anahit Barseghyan and 19-year-old gymnast Artur Davtyan. Also on
    the team are wrestling champion Artur Aleksanyan, 20, who earlier
    this year won a gold medal at the European Wrestling Competition and
    weightlifter Norayr Vardanyan, 24. Vardanyan trained with his father,
    Yuri, who won a gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Games. The team also
    includes 2008 bronze medal winners 24-year-old Tigran Martirosyan
    (weightlifting and 32-year-old Yuri Patrikeyev (wrestling). Veteran
    Olympians Armen Nazarian, 30 (Judo), and Norayr Bakhtamyan, 41
    (shooting) will compete in their third Olympic Games.

    Chairman of Armenia's National Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukian, has
    pledged a $700,000 bonus to athletes for each gold medal. Meanwhile the
    government has said it would reward the equivalent of about $72,000,
    $48,000 and $24,000 to gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively.

    Aside from the 25 athletes competing in Team Armenia, an estimated
    seven athletes of Armenian descent will represent other countries.

    Artur Ayvazyan, who won a gold medal in 2008, will again represent
    Ukraine in shooting competitions, while Misha Aloyan (boxing, 52 kg),
    David Ayrapetyan (boxing, 49 kg) and Arsen Galstyan (judo, 60 kg) will
    be competing for the Russian team. Vazgen Safaryants will represent
    Belarus (boxing, 60 kg). Tvin Moumjoghlian, 23 (table tennis) and
    Gretta Taslakian, 27 (track & field) will compete in the Lebanon team.

    Below is the list of athletes (in alphabetical order) and the field
    of their competition.

    Name Age Competition

    Artur Aleksanyan 20 Greco-Roman wrestling, 96 kg Norayr Bakhtamyan
    41 Pistol and Air Pistol shooting Anahit Barseghyan 18 Swimming,
    100 m backstroke Meline Daluzyan 24 Women's weightlifting, 69 kg
    Artur Davtyan 19 Gymnastics Hovhannes Davtyan 28 Judo, 60 kg
    Andranik Hakobyan 30 Boxing, 75 kg Kristine Harutyunyan 21 Javelin
    throw Mihran Jaburyan 27 Freestyle wrestling, 55 kg Melik Janoyan
    27 Javelin throw Arsen Julfalakyan 25 Greco-Roman wrestling, 74
    kg Ara Khachatryan 29 Weightlifting, 85 kg Hripsime Khurshudyan
    24 Women's weightlifting, 75 kg Mikael Koloyan 29 Swimming,
    100m freestyle

    Tigran Martirosyan 24 Weightlifting, 77 kg

    Arakel Mirzoyan 22 Weightlifting, 69 kg

    Armen Nazaryan 30 Judo, 66 kg

    Gadzhimurad Nurmagomedov, 25 Freestyle wrestling, 84 kg Vardan
    Pahlevanyan 24 Long jump Yuri Patrikeyev 32 Greco-Roman
    wrestling, 120 kg David Safaryan 22 Freestyle wrestling, 66 kg
    Arsen Sargsyan 27 Long jump Norayr Vardanyan 25 Weightlifting,
    94 kg Hovhannes Varderesyan 23 Greco-Roman wrestling, 66 kg Arman
    Yeremyan 26 Taekwondo, 80 kg

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