TWO ARMENIAN WEIGHTLIFTERS TO PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPIC GAMES

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22 July, 2008

In the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Armenians set their hopes
on weightlifter Gevorg Davtian (77kg), who is the only Armenian double
European champion that won a silver medal in the World Championship
2007.

In the World Championship 2007 Gevorg was about to become a champion
but in the end he yielded to Ivan Stoitsov with 1 kg and won the
silver medal.

However, Ivan Stoitsov, as well as all the other Bulgarian
weightlifters, are banned to participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games as Bulgaria’s Weightlifting Federation has withdrawn its team
from this summer’s Beijing Olympics since 11 lifters failed drugs
tests.

In the World Championship 2007 Davtian lifted 362 kg. The same weight
was lifted by Oleg Perepechinov in the World Championship 2008,
in which Davtian did not take part in order to save energy for the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Another aspirant to Olympic medals is Ara Khachatrian (77kg), who
won silver medals in the past 2 European Championships and got the
3rd standing in the World Championship 2006.