Mkhitar Manukyan
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling | ||
Representing  Armenia
| ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1995 Praha | 62 kg |
| European Championships | ||
| | 1996 Budapest | 62 kg |
Representing  Kazakhstan
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| | 2004 Athens | 66 kg |
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1998 Evle | 62 kg |
| | 1999 Athens | 62 kg |
| Asian Championships | ||
| | 1997 Tehran | 63 kg |
| | 1999 Tashkent | 63 kg |
| World Cup | ||
| | 2003 Almaty | 66 kg |
Mkhitar Manukyan (Armenian: Մխիթար Մանուկյան, born September 20, 1973 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR) is an Armenian-Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a two-time Asian Champion, two-time World Champion and Olympic medalist. Manukyan was awarded the Master of Sport of Armenia, International Class title in 1995 and the Honored Master of Sports of Kazakhstan title in 1998.
Biography
Mkhitar Manukyan was born September 20, 1973 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR (now Gyumri, Armenia). He started Greco-Roman wrestling at the age of ten under the direction of Yuri Karapetyan. Manukyan lost both of his parents and a sister in the 1988 Spitak earthquake. According to him, this tragedy helped him in wrestling. He became a Junior World Champion twice in 1990 and 1991. From 1993 to 1996, Manukyan was a member of the Armenia national Greco-Roman wrestling team. He won bronze medals at the 1995 FILA Wrestling World Championships and 1996 European Wrestling Championships. Manukyan participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[1]
In 1997, Manukyan received an invitation from the Greco-Roman wrestling head coach of Kazakhstan, Daulet Turlykhanov, and moved to Almaty and continued to compete under the flag of Kazakhstan. In the same year, Manukyan won a gold medal at the 1997 Asian Wrestling Championships. He later won a gold medal at the 1998 FILA Wrestling World Championships. In 1999, Manukyan became a two-time Asian and two-time World Champion at the 1999 Asian Wrestling Championships and 1999 FILA Wrestling World Championships. Manukyan was recognized as the best fighter of the year for 1999 by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles. He was one of the medal favorites for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, but in the preliminary stage of the competition, he unexpectedly lost and came in seventh place.
In January 2001, Manukyan underwent a difficult surgery on the cervical vertebrae due to a serious back injury and then spent a long time recovering. He later couldn't get to his previous level. With difficulty, he was able to be selected for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Despite heavily odds against him, Manukyan was able to win an Olympic bronze medal. In the semifinal, he received his only loss to Seref Eroglu. At the end of 3 minutes, Manukyan led 3-2. At the 5th minute of a conflict, Eroglu's coach ran on the carpet and the judge gave a yellow card. The fight ended suddenly. Manukyan lost, although he was leading. Nonetheless, this did not stop Manukyan from winning bronze by defeating Jimmy Samuelsson. An Olympic medal was his dream, and he realized it.[2]
In 2005, Manukyan completed his wrestling career. He became an assistant coach of the Kazakhstan Greco-Roman wrestling team. Manukyan is now the head coach of the wrestling team.[1]
Personal life
Manukyan is happily married to a wife named Arevik, an Armenian woman who is also from Gyumri. They both have a daughter.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Мхитар Манукян - о жизни (in Russian). borqba.narod.ru. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ↑ Мхитар Манукян на Олимпийских Играх 2004 (in Russian). borqba.narod.ru. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
External links
- Sports-Reference.com
- About life (Russian)
- The last glimpse of the real struggle (Russian)
- Mkhitar Manukyan at the Olympic Games in 2004 (Russian)