Martin Berberyan (, born on 22 May 1980) is a retired

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n Freestyle wrestler. He is an Armenian Champion, European Champion, World medalist and three-time Olympian. Berberyan was awarded the Master of Sport of Armenia, International Class title in 1998.

Biography

Martin Berberyan started freestyle wrestling in 1987 under the teaching of Samvel Markarian. He became a Junior World Championships silver medalist in 1997 and a Junior European Champion in 1998. In 1999, Berberyan was selected as a member of the Armenian national freestyle wrestling team. Berberyan came in sixth place at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

in Sydney, his best Olympic result. Berberyan won a gold medal at the 2004 European Wrestling Championships. The 2004 European Championships were hosted by

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

and competitions were held on April 24, the same day as the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

committed by the Ottoman Empire began. Because Berberyan became a European Champion at the competition, the Armenian national anthem, Mer Hayrenik, was played in the Turkish capital on that day. The success of Martin Berberian received wide publicity in Armenia. Immediately after returning to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, National Olympic Committee of Armenia President Gagik Tsarukyan handed Berberyan the keys to a new car as a reward. Berberyan came in eleventh place at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens. After the Olympics, he moved up in weight class, from 55 kg to 60 kg. He debuted in this new weight class in 2005. Berberyan won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships that year. His career was interrupted for the next two years due to his recent marriage and move to the United States. Berberyan returned to the mat in 2008 and qualified to take part at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing. He came in seventeenth place. After that, Martin Berberyan decided to complete his wrestling career. As of 2008, he is the main wrestling coach at the Los Angeles Sports Club, International Sports Union.

References

External links

Official website

ISU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berberyan, Martin 1980 births Living people Sport wrestlers from Yerevan Armenian male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Armenia Wrestlers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Wrestling Championships medalists European Wrestling Championships medalists 20th-century Armenian people 21st-century Armenian sportsmen