RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (A.W.)—A record number 33 athletes will be competing for Team Armenia in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; it’s the most since 32 athletes participated in the 1996 games in Atlanta, Ga.—Armenia’s first post-independence Olympic Games.
Most recently, Armenian swimmers Vahan Mkhitaryan and Monika Vasilyan qualified and joined the 31 Armenian athletes who had already earned their spots in the tournament.
Armenian-American gymnast Houry Gebeshian, 26, will be the first female gymnast to represent Armenia at the Summer Olympics. Gebeshian placed 21st out of 36 competitors at the Pre-Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro on April 17.
“I can’t train as much as, say, a 16-year-old can. I have been doing this sport for about 20 years, so my body is a little more broken down. But I actually feel the best I’ve ever felt; I’m doing the best gymnastics I’ve ever done. That comes with adjusting my schedule and training to accommodate to being a competing 26-year-old,” Gebeshian told the Armenian Weekly in March.
Gymnastics has a long history in Armenia. Soviet-Armenian gymnast Albert Azaryan is considered the most decorated Armenian Olympian, winning three gold and one silver for the Soviet gymnastics team. Since Armenia’s independence in 1991, however, no athlete representing Armenia has won an Olympic medal in the sport. Gebeshian now has the chance to make history by competing as the first Armenian female gymnast in the Olympic Games.
Recently, USRowing—a non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States—reported that Armenian American Nareg Guregian, along with his teammate Anders Weiss, will compete in his first Olympic Games in pair’s rowing after qualifying at rowing’s U.S. Olympic Trials II on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. Guregian, an alumnus of the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park, Calif., will be competing for Team USA.
The Olympic Games are due to take place in Rio de Janeiro, from Aug. 5 to 21.
Below is the full list of the athletes representing Armenia at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Athletics
Gor Nerkararyan
Gayane Chiloyan
Lilit Harutyunyan
Levon Aghasyan
Diana Khubeseryan
Amaliya Sharoyan
Boxing
Narek Abgaryan
Aram Avagyan
Vladimir Margaryan
Artur Hovhannisyan
Freestyle Wrestling
Levan Berianidze
Georgy Ketoyev
Davit Safaryan
Garnik Mnatcakanyan
Greco-Roman Wrestling
Artur Aleksanyan
Maxim Manukyan
Arsen Julfalakyan
Mihran Harutyunyan
Swimming
Vahan Mkhitaryan
Monica Vasilyan
Weightlifting
Andranik Karapetyan
Arakel Mirzoyan
Simon Martirosyan
Ruben Aleksanyan
Gor Minasyan
Substitute – Vanik Avetisyan
Nazik Avdalyan
Sona Poghosyan
Shooting
Hrach Babayan
Judo
Hovhannes Davtyan
Gymnastics
Houry Gebeshyan
Harutyun Medinyan
Artur Davtyan
Any idea how many Armenians competing under flags of other countries?
Just curious.
Five under Russian flag.
That’s a great question. I’d like to know too!
Let’s not forget Armenians in the Winter Olympics in 2018. Tina Garabedian is training feverishly with her partner to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, South Korea. Icedancearmenia.com
Good lock you all..We will follow you… <3
Wishing team Armenia the best of the best. Forget about what could have been but instead concentrate and do your best even if you have just adopted Armenia as your country of representation. Bravo go team Armenia.
USA Rower Nareg Guregian might very well be THE FIRST Armenian-American in history, who speaks fluent Western Armenian, to walk around the track at an Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony…at a member to TEAM USA.
Germany sent six boxers, three of which are Armenian:
Artem Harutyunyan competes at Light Welterweight -64kg
Arajik Marutjan competes at Welterweight -69kg
David Graf (real name: Vahagn Sahakjan, born in Yerevan) competes at Heavyweight -91kg
I am also curious to see a list of all Armenians competing under a different flag at the 2016 Olympics.
In addition to the athletes mentioned above:
Mikhail Aloyan (of Yazidi descent but born in Armenia) competes at Flyweight -52kg for Russia in boxing.
Sargis Martirosjan competes in the -105kg division as a weightlifter for Austria.
Pablo Aprahamian is a Judoka in the -100kg division competing for Uruguay
Martin Melconian is swimmer participating in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke event for Uruguay
Adam Krikorian is the head coach of the United States national water polo team
Armenians competing for Russia (source: Russian Natl Olympic Committee English-language website):
Mikhail Aloyan – boxing
Stepan Maranian – Greco-Roman wrestling
Olga Akopian – handball
Seda Toutkhalian – gymnastics
Kiril Grigorian – rifle shooting
Yana Yegorian – fencing
List of Armenians under different flags (total of 16):
Sargis Martirosjan – weightlifter – Austria
Eduard Soghomonyan – wrestler – Brazil
Arajik Marutjan – boxer – Germany
Artem Harutyunyan – boxer – Germany
David Graf (Vahagn Sahakjan) – boxer – Germany
Marianna Sahakian – table tennis player – Lebanon
Richard Merjan – canoeist – Lebanon
Kirill Grigoryan – shooter – Russia
Mikhail Aloyan (Yazidi ethnicity, but born in Armenia) – boxer – Russia
Olga Akopyan (not completely sure, she could be Russian, but just married to Armenian) – handbal player – Russia
Seda Tutkhalyan – gymnast – Russia
Stepan Maryanyan – wrestler – Russia
Yana Egorian – sabre fencer – Russia
Martin Melconian – swimmer – Uruguay
Pablo Aprahamian – judoka – Uruguay
Nareg Guregian – rower – USA
wishing team Armenia the very best. It’s not about winning gold, it’s about competing and doing your best for yourself and for your country. Bravo.
Good luck!