The Only Gymnast Representing Armenia at the Olympic Games Has an Injury

The only gymnast representing Armenia at the upcoming 32nd Summer Olympic Games, Arthur Davtyan (all-around), has sustained a back injury. This was announced today, December 3, during a meeting with journalists by the head coach of the Armenian national team, Hakob Serobyan. He noted that this is the reason why Davtyan did not perform well in the vault at the World Cup competition in Cottbus, which is his strongest apparatus.

“I am only dissatisfied with Davtyan because he did not execute the vault. I was shocked; I said he could be held accountable. Apparently, he was experiencing back pain but hadn't mentioned it. I found out during the Voronin Cup competition; I even told him not to participate. He received an injection and scored very well. I did not let him perform the vault and the floor exercise again because it was clear there would be a back issue,” he said.

The coach stated that there might be a nerve-related problem. He believes the issue could be due to overexertion, as there have been no incidents during training sessions. Earlier, Serobyan had specifically determined the program by which Arthur would prepare for the Olympic Games, but the injury may change everything. “I will not do anything at the expense of his health. If he is normal, he will proceed with the planned program,” he added.

Currently, Davtyan has been advised to rest. Nonetheless, it is essential for him to participate in three competitions and training camps to assess his ability to execute the exercises, particularly the second jump in the vault, regarding which both the coach and the athlete have doubts. They have already used various assessments for reconnaissance purposes and drawn conclusions on how he is performing.

Next year will commence with the Azaryan Cup in the USA, followed by a ten-day training camp there. Serobyan emphasized again that Armenia will have only one participant in the Olympic Games. He reminded that they are missing two qualifying Cup events because they are in Baku. He noted that Arthur Tovmasyan missed the chance to secure qualification in the rings event at the World Championships, despite having a good chance.

He mentioned that the last opportunity could have been the European Championships in 2020, where two tickets were to be distributed in all-around, but that event is also in Baku. He highlighted that besides the disappointment of missing the competitions in terms of Olympic qualification, it also negatively impacts the youth, as they lose the opportunity to record results and consequently obtain military service deferments, which could affect their sporting careers.

The Armenian Championship will take place at the end of February 2020. Following that, from March 1, there will be a two-week training camp in Tbilisi. The juniors and girls will also participate alongside the adults. After that, the athletes will head to the World Cup in Doha, which, despite being a qualifying event for the Olympics, will not benefit Armenians in that regard. There will also be two subsequent Cup events that are not qualifying—one in Slovenia and the other in Croatia. According to Serobyan, after that, the Armenian Olympic Committee will hold a gathering, after which Arthur Davtyan will head to Tokyo for the Olympic Games. If Serobyan serves as a judge at Tokyo 2020, Hayk Nazaryan will accompany Davtyan as his coach.