This story is about a man who made an American figure skater a champion at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Meet Rafael Arutyunyan, the figure skating coach of the US national team. To understand Arutyunyan's scale, he can be compared to the legendary Eteri Tutberidze, who raised world champions from Russia.
Rafael is rightfully considered the most famous Armenian figure skating coach. From a young age, he was passionate about this sport and reached the level of a candidate for master of sports of the USSR. Although he did not achieve great heights as an athlete, which is often the case among coaches, in his coaching career he is one of the best.
Among his trainees are world stars of figure skating: Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Mao Asada, Jeffrey Buttle, and many other famous skaters.
Arutyunyan's main star and student is the singles skater Nathan Chen, who has been training under his guidance since 2011. Nathan later became a world champion and an Olympic champion.
In sports circles, Rafael Arutyunyan is called the rival of the legendary Eteri Tutberidze. He is the main forger of figure skating champions in the USA, while Eteri forges champions from Russia.