With Training Paused, He Joined the Defense of His Homeland: Why the Multiple Champion Brought Home a Small Gold for Armenia This Time

After failing to lift the barbell, Simon Martirosyan stated, "My legs couldn't hold me." Since yesterday, social media has been actively discussing how the main contender for victory in the 109 kg weight class could not lift the 227 kg barbell three times. This is despite the fact that all global records in this weight class belong to the two-time world and European champion, and silver medalist of the Olympic Games, the Armenian weightlifter.

Yes, that's Simon, the multiple champion and record holder in weightlifting. He brought a small gold medal to Armenia yesterday, a result attributed to his military service during the war. No worries, my brother, soon you'll bring home three gold medals as well. Patriotism isn't about shouting or engaging in battles on Facebook; this is what patriotism is about—Simon, who left training to join the defense of his homeland during the entire war, wrote Ararat Melkonyan on Facebook.

It turns out that Simon's failure was due to an injury he sustained months ago in Karvachar while helping to save Armenian cross-stones. The incident was shared by campaigner Mikael Topuzyan on his Facebook page. "When all the athletes were training and preparing for the next competition, Simon was doing volunteer work, and one day remaining before our people left Karvachar, for some reason, the retrieval of valuable cross-stones was delayed. A quick team was formed, and Simon was among the first, and if he hadn’t been there... Those who were there know what would have happened, and that’s when the injury occurred...,” Topuzyan wrote.

Topuzyan notes that Simon Martirosyan is the athlete "that others fear competing against and know that they can only achieve results after him..." He is confident that Simon will soon bring an Olympic gold medal to us. Topuzyan also published several photos on his page showing Simon in military uniform at defense positions of the homeland.

Simon Martirosyan, a member of the Armenian men's weightlifting team, won a small gold medal at the European Championship yesterday. During the snatch competition in the 109 kg weight class at the ongoing European Championship in Moscow, Martirosyan failed to lift 190 kg in the first two attempts, but in his third attempt, he managed to hold 190 kg overhead and claimed the small gold medal. He received a zero in the clean and jerk, failing to lift 227 kg in three attempts. Simon Martirosyan is a silver medalist of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and a two-time champion of both the World (2018, 2019) and European (2017, 2019) Championships. All records in the 109 kg weight class belong to Martirosyan.