MosJan Posted December 14, 2001 Report Share Posted December 14, 2001 Sports Briefing By Michael Harutiunian ArmeniaWeek reporter Wrestling Wrestler Vaghinak Galustian emerged bloody but victorious at the 46th World Senior Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Patra, Greece December 6 to 9. Galustian (pictured right) became world champion in the 63kg weight category after defeating Kim In Sub from South Korea in a very hard fought contest to take the gold medal. He is only the second Armenian to win a world championship title in the sport in the ten years since independence. The last one was Aghasi Manukian, who was Greco-Roman world champion in 1993. Armenia came close to a golden double when Karen Mnatsakanian reached the final of the 58kg class. He beat Armen Nazarian, another Armenian representing Bulgaria, in the semi-finals. But Mnatsakanian had to settle for silver when he was defeated by Uzbekistan's Aripov Dilshod in the final. The Armenian team competed in five of the eight weight categories at the championships. They were: Artashes Minasian (54kg), Karen Mnatsakanian (58kg), Galustian Vaghinak (63kg), Levon Geghamian (85kg) and Robert Petrosian (97kg). They were among 257 wrestlers representing 55 countries. Minasian (pictured bottom left) and Geghamian finished 12th in their categories, while Petrosian came 19th. Aside from the national team, there were a number of Armenians competing for other countries in the championships. The most successful of them was Ara Abrahamian (pictured left), who won the gold medal for Sweden in the 76kg category. Nazarian, who finished fourth in the 58kg class, won gold while representing Armenia in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He repeated the feat in Sydney last year, but by then was a member of the Bulgarian team. Alfred Ter-Mertchian also took part in the 58kg competition as part of Germany's team. He finished a disappointing 35th - two years ago at the 45th World Championships, in Athens, Ter-Mertchian won a bronze medal for third place. Hovannes Kurghinian represented The Netherlands in the 63kg class, and came 20th. The 46th World Championships ought to have taken place in New York from September 26 to 29. But the terror attack on the World Trade Center Towers on September 11 forced them to be switched to Greece, where the previous championships were held. The World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships were first held in Vienna, Austria, in May 1904. Since 1960, it has been held annually except in the years when the Olympics take place. Under the rules of Greco-Roman wrestling, contestants may not use their legs in any way to obtain a fall, and no holds may be taken below the waist. A fall is awarded when one wrestler holds both of his opponent's shoulders to the mat for one second. If a wrestler achieves a fall against his opponent, he wins and the match ends. Otherwise, the winner is the one who gains ten points more than his opponent by the end of two rounds lasting three minutes each. Points are awarded for throws that do not result in a fall, and for being more aggressive than your opponent. Penalty points are awarded against you for "passive" play. If there is no clear winner at the end of the contest, there is an additional three-minute round. If there is still no result, the match judges name a winner based on the points achieved, penalties awarded, and overall general performance. Football The Footballer of the Year in Armenia for the 2001season is Vardan Minasian, a 27-year-old midfield player, who won the award for his outstanding performances as captain of the championship-winning Pyunik team. Minasian's achievement is all the more impressive because, unlike some of his teammates, he is only a part-time footballer. His day job is as a power engineer. The Footballer of the Year award has been presented annually since 1992. Fans and other members of the public are asked to vote in a poll conducted by the Armenian Football Federation together with the Armenian newspaper "Football Plus" and the Federation of Armenian Sports Reporters. Armen Karamian, a forward from Pyunik, received the second-highest number of votes. He was the top goal scorer in the league this season. His twin brother Artavazd, who plays alongside Armen in the Pyunik front line, placed third in the voting. Armenia's Footballers of the Year 1992 Sarkis Ovsepian 1993 Armen Shakhgeldian 1994 Arsen Avetisian 1995 Sarkis Ovsepian 1996 Arthur Petrosian 1997 Harutyun Vardanian 1998 Arthur Voskanian 1999 Harutyun Abramian 2000 Arthur Petrosian 2001 Vardan Minasian Photos by Armenpress ©Copyright ArmeniaWeek Dec. 14, 2001. all rights reserved. WWW.ARMENIAWEEK.COM is published by the FOURTH MILLENNIUM SOCIETY, publishers of ARMENIAN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE. 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