Aleksanyan Won on One Foot, Amoyan in the Last Moment

At the World Wrestling Championship scheduled for September, Armenian wrestlers in Greco-Roman style are expected to win more medals. This was assured by the national team coaches during a press conference today.

The Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team returned from the European Championship held in Croatia with three medals—two gold and one bronze. Team head coach Armen Babalaryan is not dissatisfied with the results but believes they could have performed even better, as reported by Sputnik.

Commenting on the performance of Olympic champion Arthur Aleksanyan, who won his sixth gold medal at this championship, he rated them in one word: excellent.

“One could say that Arthur won the final on one foot, because from the very first seconds, his opponent hit his leg, even causing a hematoma. But Arthur showed his character, as he always does, and won even with an injury,” said Babalaryan.

Aleksanyan also promised to do everything possible to return from the World Championship in September—and from the Olympic Games—once again with a gold medal. “I have a goal to accomplish in Paris what I failed to achieve in Tokyo. I remember the Tokyo Olympics with great sorrow because I was in good shape and ready to become an Olympic double champion, but the injury I sustained in the semifinals hindered me,” stated the “White Bear.”

The coach is also pleased with the performance of double European champion Malhas Amoyan, who, according to him, also demonstrated a champion’s character by defeating his opponent in the last moments.

“My inner voice told me that Malhas wouldn’t lose. His desire to win was strong, and he fought until the very last second, showing great will and triumphed,” the coach noted.

Armenian athletes competed in all ten weight categories. 23-year-old Hrachya Poghosyan won a bronze medal as a result of the competitions, which was his first medal at the adult level championships.

“The last bout was very impressive for me because I lost in the fight for third place for two consecutive years, and this was my dream that came true,” he noted, adding that he will do everything possible to win a gold medal next time.

The head coach announced that in a month, Greco-Roman wrestlers will hold a training camp in Tsaghkadzor, and before that, an international tournament will be held in Armenia at the end of May, dedicated to the first Armenian champion Benur Pashayan.