The Armenian Weekly sports correspondent Antranig Dereyan reports from Vancouver.
VANCOUVER, Canada—Armenia’s athletes are all in the same boat, trying to do their best, but with little exposure and much doubt from the outside nations on their abilities.
Kristine Khachatryan and Sergey Mikayelyan, both cross-country skiers, have already completed their respective events.
Khachatryan, in the ladies’ 10 km. free, started her race in the 78th position and finished 76th. Now, the most important aspect of this result is that she finished in a better position than she started in. At the Just by finishing, Khachatryan put Armenia on the map. Her name is on the result list, with the flag of her nation beside it. Seventy-sixth place means that she didn’t give up and beat the times of other national stars who started ahead of her.
Seventy-sixth isn’t the same as medaling, of course, but it is something every Armenian should be proud of.
Sergey Mikayelyan’s event, the men’s 15 km. free, brought with it international exposure, thanks to the American Olympic Broadcast station, NBC. Using words like “bright future,” the piece on Mikayelyan may have given the young, Russian-born Armenian national pressure to do well. Remember, he is only 17, and better things are yet to come.
He started from 76th place and battled the other competitors—and the elements (Vancouver, both downtown and in Whistler, saw freezing rain and heavy snowfall with winds)—to improve his standing to 70th place.
Disappointing for some spectators? Maybe, especially after the TV piece, but, as with his teammate, this is a good thing. Placing higher than he started, staying focused on the event and not letting the outside world affect him, Mikayelyan may not have had lived up to the expectations of the NBC piece, but he will in Olympics to come.
As for the alpine skiers—flag bearer Arsen Nersisyan and U.S.-born Ani-Matilda Serebrakian—their events are next week. Nersisyan will compete in the men’s giant slalom on Feb. 23 at 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) and in the slalom on Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. Serebrakian will compete in the ladies’ giant slalom on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. and in the slalom on Feb. 26 at 10 a.m.
Check your local listings for air times.
Antranig Dereyan
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We pray for Armenian Team rewards with a safe return to their Country and their Beloved.
Nodar Kumaritashvilli: Georgian Luger
You didn’t have place in luge artificial track
You went running prone
Returned supine
With hopeless locked eyes.
Olympics is a festival no one should die
The tragedies are tragedies no one can avoid.
If it was man made
Must get punishment.
Man made mistakes
Gave others rewards.
Inefficient Hands
Signed your unexpected death!
We are in tears
Can we forget?
Pains remain decades
For every innocent death.
We pray and say, “God helps your mother and no one else!”
Sylva Portoian, MD
February 18, 2010
Our prayers for Armenian Team rewards, with safe return to their country and their beloved.
Armenians took part in the first Olympics. Zareck Couyoumdzian in 1906 played on the Smyrna Football Team which won a silver medal (Smyrna was then part of Turkey) in Athens; Vahran Papazyan (only 13 years old) took part in Athletics (he was born in Uskudar, Istanbul and was affiliated with Robert College. In 1912, in Stockholm, Vahran Papazyan and Migir Migiryan took part in Athletics on behalf of the team for the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).
Although Robert College encouraged athletics for their students as a way for them to interact and get along in spite of their differences, and the Trustees also gave money to the YMCA where young local boys could take part in athletics, they were not happy about the Olympics where nationalism arose and nations were competing against each other.
Michail Dorizas, the best athlete to come out of Robert College, won a silver medal for the javelin throw in 1908 as a member of the Greek Olympic Team.