General Interest |
| Famous relatives |
His partner Jenny Arthur competes for the United States of America in weightlifting and his father Yuri won a gold medal in weightlifting for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and is a seven-time world champion. Yuri also became Armenia's Minister of Sports in 2013 and has served as Armenia's ambassador to Georgia. (teamusa.org, 05 May 2016; mediagid.am, 24 Feb 2011) |
Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Colorado Springs, CO, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
USA Olympic Training Centre: Colorado Springs, CO, USA |
General Interest |
| Hobbies |
Travel. (teamusa.org, 09 May 2016) |
| Injuries |
He had two surgeries in his left knee during 2009. (firstpull.net, 12 Nov 2013) |
| Other sports |
He played basketball in high school. (teamusa.org, 05 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
When he told his father that he wanted to improve his vertical jump to help with his basketball skills so he offered to show him some exercises. "The next thing I know, he got me weightlifting shoes and had made a platform in our garage. I decided to make the switch. My father always told me 'I wouldn't waste my time or your time if I knew you weren't going to be something special in the sport.' That stuck with me." |
General Interest |
| Ambitions |
To compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (teamusa.org, 05 May 2016) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Zygmunt Smalcerz [national], POL; Yuri Vardanian [father], ARM |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He started weightlifting under his father's instructions aged 13 in California, United States of America. |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Coach |
| Languages |
Armenian, English, Russian |
General Interest |
| Other information |
FROM ARMENIA TO USA
He was born in Armenia and moved with his family to Moorpark, CA, United States of America at age five. His family moved back to his birthplace in 2009 and he represented Armenia at the 2012 Olympic Games before again returning to the United States of America. "I chose to move back because I'm American. I grew up in America. The lifestyle I live is American. I dress American, I listen to American music, I watch American movies. I love the fact that I'm Armenian, but I wanted to live in America. I want my kids to be American. I want them to grow up having many opportunities." (teamusa.org, 05 May 2016)
FAMILY PRESSURE
One of three brothers, he is the only one to have followed his famous father into the sport of weightlifting. "Everyone in Armenia compared me to my dad. Even if I had won the Olympics, they would have said 'Oh well, you didn't break five world records like your dad.' I used to let that get to me, but the last year I was there, I thought 'You know what, it doesn't matter what I do. I'm always going to be less than my dad, so I'm just going to accept that'. Then I came back to America and I started my own life." (teamusa.org, 05 May 2016) |
Further Personal Information |
| Family |
Partner Jenny Arthur |
London
Toronto, ON
Chicago, IL
Limassol
Groznyy