Armenia’s athletes ready to make history at the Paris Olympics
It’s known as the world’s foremost sports competition. The Olympics are here once again, and that means Armenian athletes are preparing for some of the most important days of their careers. Armenia will be represented at a seventh consecutive Summer Olympics by 15 athletes across seven competitions in Paris, France.
But the Olympics don’t start without its famous opening ceremony. On Friday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m. EST, the opening ceremony will commence with boxer Davit Chaloyan as Armenia’s flag bearer. Sports shooter Elmira Karapetyan has been involved in the Olympic Torch Relay leading up to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony. She is the first athlete representing Armenia to participate in the Olympic Torch Relay, hosted in Aisne, France.
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Following the opening ceremony, Armenian athletes will waste little time before joining in on the Olympics action. First to the stage is a duo of Armenian gymnasts. Artur Davtyan and Vahagn Davtyan both qualified for the All-Around events in gymnastics, which begin on Saturday, July 27 at 5 a.m. EST.
Artur Davtyan has long been vaulting to perfection. Spanning back to the 2022 Cottbus World Cup, he has won a gold medal in 12 of his last 14 events. He also won silver medals at the 2022 and 2024 European Championships. The Olympic bronze medalist, world champion and two-time European champion locked in his spot in Paris after his performance at the 2023 World Championships in Belgium and will look to win gold in vault.
Vahagn’s journey wasn’t as clear-cut. He needed good results at the 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup. He only participated in three of its four events, as one was located in Azerbaijan, where both he and Artur opted out of competing. Despite this obstacle, Vahagn finished second in Cairo, third in Cottbus and first in Doha in rings. Those finishes earned him 75 qualification points, which was tied for first and just enough to knock Azerbaijani Nikita Simonov out of an Olympic spot with 73 points.
If both athletes make it to the rings and vault final respectively, those will play out on August 4 starting at 9 a.m. EST.
On Saturday, July 27, Elmira Karapetyan will load up to compete in the women’s 10m air pistol event beginning at 6:30 a.m. EST. Karapetyan was the first Armenian to qualify for the 2024 summer games after her performance at the 2022 ISSF World Championships. She won a silver medal at the 2023 European Games in the mixed team 10m air pistol event with Benik Khlghatyan. Prior to the Olympics, Karapetyan had a taste of gold after placing first in the ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship, edging out second place by .2 points. If she makes it to the final, you can watch her go for gold on Sunday, July 28 at 6 a.m. EST.
The final Armenian competing on Saturday, July 27 is Varsanik Manucharyan in swimming. Manucharyan will hit the water for the women’s 100m butterfly event beginning at 5 a.m. EST. This isn’t her first rodeo — the 21-year-old will be competing in her second Olympic games after representing Armenia in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. While she did not medal then, Manucharyan will look to win Armenia’s first medal in swimming.
On Monday, July 29, Armenia’s flag bearer will take to the ring to box his way to Olympic glory. Davit Chaloyan will box in the first round of the men’s +92 kg division, or super heavyweight, beginning at 6:30 a.m. EST. Chaloyan earned his spot within two months of the summer games at the second World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, where he defeated Ireland’s Martin McDonagh 3-2 in the quota bout. If Chalyon advances all the way to the final, that bout will take place on Saturday, August 10 at 4:50 p.m. EST. Chaloyan has the chance to become the third Armenian to medal in boxing, joining Hrachik Javakhyan in 2008 and Hovhannes Bachkov in 2021, who both won bronze.
Armenia will have a second swimmer competing for a shot at Armenian sports history. Artur Barseghyan will compete in the men’s 100m freestyle on Tuesday, July 30 at 5 a.m. EST. The finals will be held on July 31 at 4:30 p.m. EST. Barseghyan and Manucharyan were named as Armenia’s representatives in swimming by the Armenian Swimming Federation less than a month prior to the opening ceremony.
Armenians will not only test their speed in the water, but also burn the tracks. Yervand Mkrtchyan will compete in the men’s 800m in the famous Stade de France on Wednesday, August 7 at 5:55 a.m. EST. Mkrtchyan is the Armenian national record holder for the 1500 meters and 3000 meters. He recently won a gold medal in Istanbul, Turkey in the 1500m race at the Balkan countries’ athletics championship. Similar to swimming, Armenia was allowed a certain number of runners to send to the Olympic games. Mkrtchyan made the cut and will be competing in his first Olympic games. If he advances to run for a medal, the final will be hosted on Saturday, August 10 at 1:25 p.m. EST.
Wrestling and weightlifting round out the competitions where you will see athletes representing the red, blue and orange. Two heavy hitters in Greco-Roman wrestling will begin their Olympic quests on Tuesday, August 6 at 5:30 a.m. EST. Malkhas Amoyan will hit the mats in the men’s 77 kg Greco-Roman, and Artur Aleksanyan will take on the 97 kg Greco-Roman division.
Amoyan, a three-time European and world champion, will make his Olympic debut after earning qualification, among all five other Armenian wrestlers, during their top-five finishes at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. At the 2024 European Championships, Amoyan won his fourth-career gold medal after defeating Turkish opponent Yunus Emre Basar 7-0. This marked his final major competition before Paris 2024. If Amoyan makes it all the way to the gold medal match, he will throw down on Wednesday, August 7 at 1:55 p.m. EST.
Aleksanyan is no stranger to the world stage. The White Bear has won gold, silver and bronze at the Olympics, along with four world championships and seven European championships. Now a 32-year-old veteran, some consider the Paris games Aleksanyan’s final Olympics. A favorite to medal, Aleksanyan’s presumptive gold medal match would take place on Wednesday, August 7 at 2:30 p.m. EST.
Armenia’s final Greco-Roman wrestling competitor will hit the mat on Wednesday, August 7 at 5:30 a.m. EST. Slavik Galstyan will make his Olympics debut in the 67 kg division after winning an Olympic wrestle-off against Kyrgyzstan’s Amantur Ismailov at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships. Despite losing in the semifinals, Galstyan earned a spot in the winner-takes-all match that decided his summer plans. Fortunately for the Armenian wrestler, Galstyan scored a commanding 8-0 win against his opponent to join his fellow Armenians in Paris.
Two other Armenian wrestlers will fight for their nation in freestyle. Four-time European champion Arsen Harutyunyan will start his Olympic journey on Thursday, August 8 at 5:30 a.m. EST in the 57 kg division. European champion Vazgen Tevanyan will join him in freestyle wrestling in the 65 kg division starting on Saturday, August 10 at 5:30 a.m. EST. If Harutyunyan goes for gold, his final bout will play out on Friday, August 9 at 1:55 p.m. EST. If he qualifies, Tevanyan will fight for gold on Sunday, August 11 at 6:25 a.m. EST.
Armenia’s final trio of athletes will begin competition on the same day they fight for a medal. In weightlifting, Armenia will be represented by Andranik Karapetyan in 89 kg, Garik Karapetyan in 102 kg and Varazdat Lalayan in +102 kg. Andranik Karapetyan will lift on Friday, August 9 starting at 9 a.m. EST. Andranik has won gold, silver and bronze at the European championships and looks to redeem his last Olympic appearance in 2016, when he severely injured his arm.
Both Garik Karapetyan and Varazdat Lalayan will lift for gold on Saturday, August 10. Three-time junior world champion Garik begins his quest at 8:20 a.m. EST. The 21-year-old earned a spot in Paris after claiming second place at the World Cup in Phuket, Thailand with a 401 kg total lift. Lalayan will also lift on the 10th starting at 2:30 p.m. EST with arguably the world’s strongest man in the way of a gold medal. Lalayan will have to outlift Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze for a shot at gold, considering Talakhadze is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, seven-time world champion and seven-time European champion. Lalayan won his first gold medal at the 2024 European championships, a competition Talakhadze did not compete in due to an injury. Just 25 years old, Lalayan could shock the world with a gold medal in this weight class.
Armenia has never won more than five medals at a single Olympics. The country has won medals in wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and gymnastics. Despite only having 15 athletes in Paris, which is lower than previous years (17 in 2021, 32 in 2016, 25 in 2012, etc.), Armenia now has a chance to make history.
Jason Takhtadjian
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