LONDON (A.W.)—Armenian athlete Arsen Galstyan secured Russia’s first Olympic gold in the 60-kilogram judo competition.
Arsen Galstyan with his gold medal
In the semi-final and final rounds, Galstyan defeated double world champion Rishod Sobirov (Uzbekistan) and Hiroaki Hiraoka (Japan) respectively.
Commentators deemed Galstyan’s victory a surprise, as he is ranked number five in the world.
Galstyan had won the bronze medal in the most recent Judo world championships.
Galstyan was born in Armenia on Feb. 19, 1989. The 5’7’’ (170 cm) athlete is coached by Igor Romanov. He sometimes trains with his two brothers, Arman and Tigran.
“When I have nobody to train with, I [recruit] one of my brothers. It seems to me that my victories give them additional stimulation to train and win,” he told Judolinda.ru in an interview published last year.
lol I liked my own post by mistake, don’t know how to unlike it. Ah well 😛
If he is armenian why does he represent russia?
Russia is a multiethnic country and a home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Arsen Galstyan was born in Armenia but moved to Russia in pursuit of a better life. Many athletes of foreign nationality have represented a country different from their ethnic background.