The world champion Varazdat Lalayan has been awarded the title of Honored Master of Sport of Armenia
Varazdat Lalayan, silver medalist of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, reigning European and world champion in weightlifting, has been awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of Armenia. The award was presented by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan. Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan also attended the meeting.
The title of Honored Master of Sports is granted exclusively to Olympic champions, medalists, and world champions.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the development of weightlifting in Armenia, existing challenges in the field, and issues related to improving training conditions and infrastructure in Gyumri. The minister also noted that significant changes have been made this year to the selection process for the best athletes in the field of sports. Several new categories have been introduced, including “Audience Choice,” the voting for which is conducted online through a channel created on the Telegram social platform.
It should be recalled that at the World Weightlifting Championship held in Manama, Bahrain, Olympic silver medalist Varazdat Lalayan became the champion in the super-heavyweight category. In the snatch event, Lalayan successfully completed all three attempts. First, he lifted a 206 kg barbell. In his second attempt, he added 5 kg. In his third attempt, Lalayan held 215 kg overhead and secured the small gold medal.
In the clean and jerk event, Lalayan successfully lifted 246 kg on his first attempt. Although he failed his second attempt, he succeeded in his third, and despite earning a bronze medal in the clean and jerk, he secured the gold medal in the total. The 25-year-old weightlifter achieved a combined total of 467 kg. This marked his second gold medal in his career. He also stood on the top step of the podium at the 2024 European Championships held in Sofia. Lalayan is a two-time silver and bronze medalist at the World Championships and has also won two silver and one bronze medal at the European Championships.