This edition of Mediamax Sport’s In One Shot series presents the moment Julfalakyan received his prize.
Reaching the finals and winning the silver in Olympics is a little like dying. Only one step is between you and the gold medal and the ultimate victory seems so close.
The match on 5 August 2012 was the most important final in Julfalakyan’s career. His opponent was Russian wrestler Roman Vlasov. The Armenian athlete did his best but could only get the silver.
He looked incredibly upset at the award ceremony and couldn’t hold back tears. Vlasov even whispered something to him while they were standing on the platform.
“I regret not winning the gold then, but I can do nothing about it. Vlasov told me on the platform that I was the strongest. I had special training for the Olympics and had a huge desire to win a medal. I can’t say what would be with me if I didn’t,” he said.