Pages of history
From the History of Armenian Weightlifting
English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1983 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1983), pp. 67–69: the text is paraphrased, not translated.
Background
Traditional Armenian strength feats: carrying millstones and horses, fighting animals, moving stones up to 200 kg. Organised weightlifting: sections in Yerevan (1922) and Aleksandropol, now Leninakan (1925).
Chronology
Results in kg; * weight classes of the time (editor's note): middle to 75, light-heavy to 82.5, heavy over 82.6 (as printed).
- 1928 · Khachik Mandalyan (middle*): five-lift total 442.5, Transcaucasian Games — Transcaucasian best until 1933, third on the all-Union list.
- 1932–38 · Sergo Ambartsumyan (heavy*; ex-wrestler, recruited by G. Simonyan): 1932 Pyatigorsk district meet, 1st, 420 (five lifts); 1933 all-Union finals, 1st, 505; 1934 USSR Championship, all-Union record 571, plus left-hand snatch 95.8, snatch 127.5, right-hand jerk 115.5 — all above world records; 1937 Yerevan, world records in clean & jerk 168.2 and three-lift total 419; 1938 total 433.5, 8.5 above record holder J. Manger. Later Honoured Master of Sport, international referee, honorary member of the Armenian SSR federation.
- 1935–37 · Ruben Manukyan (light-heavy*; ex-acrobat): all-Union left-hand snatch record 82.1 (1935); world record 90.8 (1937, +0.8), later 95.85. Badge of Honour 1938, Honoured Master of Sport 1946; died 1979.
- 1939–40 · successes credited to coach Yan Yuryevich Sparre.
- 1947 · Ivan Azdarov (bantam): first Armenian European champion, Helsinki, 292.5.
- 1954 · Mikhail Akopyants (75): world press record 128.3, VII Transcaucasian Spartakiad, Yerevan (Touni's record +1.3).
- 1955–75 · only junior records and all-Union placings.
- 1975–78 · Vardan Melitosyan (75): Friendship Cup 1975, 332.5; 1976 European champion 340, world clean & jerk record 191, Montreal Olympic silver 330; 1978 European champion 342.5, world record 196. Honoured Master of Sport, medal “For Labour Valour”.
- 1975– · Yurik Vardanyan (Leninakan; started under his uncle Sergei Andranikovich Vardanyan): 1975–76 world junior champion, five senior world records (75); since then five-time world champion, Olympic champion, over 30 world records; Honoured Master of Sport, deputy of the Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet, Order of the Red Banner of Labour.
- 1979–82 · Yurik Sarkisyan (60; village pupil of teacher Feliks Aliev from age 13): Master of Sport at 16 (52); Master of Sport International Class, Izmir 1979 (56); world and European junior champion 1981; 1982 world champion; Olympic silver; 9 senior world records; “For Labour Valour” 1980.
- 1981–82 · Oksen Mirzoyan: world and European junior champion 1981; 1982 World and European silver (56); world record holder.
Next generation named: S. Muradyan, A. Papikyan, G. Arutyunyan, R. Oganesyan, S. Manukyan, N. Nersesyan, with Vardanyan, Sarkisyan and Mirzoyan.