The Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler Malkhas Amoyan will make his debut at the Olympic Games. In Paris, the 25-year-old athlete will represent Armenia in the 77 kg weight category. Amoyan is considered one of the favorites in this weight class.
Malkhas Amoyan is a world champion and a three-time European champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Dates for Malkhas Amoyan’s competitions in Paris:
- August 6: preliminary bouts and semifinals.
- August 7: repechage bouts, bronze medal matches, and finals.
In this article, we will look at the journey Malkhas Amoyan has taken to reach the 2024 Olympic Games.
Malkhas comes from a sporting family. He was born on January 22, 1999, in Yerevan into a family of Yazidis. He started practicing Greco-Roman wrestling under the guidance of his uncle, Azat Amoyan, and later his personal coach became his younger uncle and Azat’s brother, Roman Amoyan (2008 Olympic bronze medalist).
Malkhas Amoyan has been competing with the senior Armenian national team since 2019 and became a wrestling star after the Tokyo Olympics. He did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as he was competing in the non-Olympic 72 kg weight class, but since 2022, he has been competing in the Olympic 77 kg weight class.
Immediately after the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), Malkhas made a name for himself worldwide. In October 2021, at the age of 22, Amoyan became the world champion in the 72 kg weight class, defeating Russian Sergey Kutuzov 3-1 in the final.
Starting the following year, the Yazidi from Armenia began competing in the Olympic 77 kg weight class, replacing Karapet Chalyan. In his first major tournament, Malkhas became the 2022 European champion, defeating the more experienced Turkish wrestler Yunus Basar 4-3 in a very intense final.
European Championships 2022 (77 kg):
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Yunus Basar (Turkey).
- Senan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan).
- Aik Mnatsakanian (Bulgaria).
In September 2022, Amoyan, as the reigning European champion at 77 kg and world champion at 72 kg, competed for the first time at the World Championships in the Olympic weight class. The start of the tournament was unfortunate for Amoyan: he lost his first bout to Hungarian Zoltan Levai with an equal score of 3-3, but Levai had the advantage of the last point. Fortunately, Levai reached the final, where he lost to Kyrgyz Akzhol Makhmudov, giving Amoyan a chance in the repechage, which he fully utilized. In the repechage, he defeated two opponents and fought for bronze against Viktor Nemeš, winning the bronze medal match 7-1.
World Championships 2022 (77 kg):
- Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan).
- Zoltan Levai (Hungary).
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Yunus Basar (Turkey).
After the senior World Championships, Malkhas also competed at the U23 World Championships and became the champion, defeating Moldovan Alexandru Gutu 7-2 in the final.
U23 World Championships 2022 (77 kg):
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Alexandru Gutu (Moldova).
- Nao Kusaka (Japan).
- Sayan Bhanwal (India).
The year 2023 was already an Olympic year, with the first qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics being the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, held in September. Before that, Malkhas once again became the European champion in a historic and grandiose manner. On his way to the final, Amoyan confidently defeated all opponents: 10-0 against Croatian Antonio Kamenasevic, 7-0 against Dane Oliver Kruger, and 6-1 against Turk Yunus Basar. In the final, Malkhas again faced Serbian Viktor Nemeš, whom he had defeated for bronze at the 2022 World Championships. This time, Viktor was very eager for revenge, and he almost succeeded. The Serbian was winning 4-1 with 13 seconds left in the bout, but Malkhas Amoyan made an incredible 4-point throw and snatched victory.
European Championships 2023 (77 kg):
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Viktor Nemeš (Serbia).
- Zoltan Levai (Hungary).
- Yunus Basar (Turkey).
And then came the first Olympic tournament – the 2023 World Championships, where Amoyan secured his Olympic license. Malkhas started the tournament very well, defeating Lithuanian and French opponents prematurely, and in the quarterfinals, he once again outperformed Viktor Nemeš 3-1. However, he stumbled in the semifinals, losing to Azerbaijani Senan Suleymanov 0-5. The two-time world champion then became Kyrgyz Akzhol Makhmudov, while Amoyan won the bronze medal match against Kazakh Demeu Zhadrayev 9-7, securing his Olympic quota. Another Armenian, Aram Vardanyan, representing Uzbekistan, also secured a quota, defeating the same Demeu Zhadrayev 5-4 in a separate bout for the quota. A total of 5 wrestlers secured quotas at the World Championships – all the medalists and Aram Vardanyan.
World Championships 2023 (77 kg, Olympic qualification):
- Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan).
- Senan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan).
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Nao Kusaka (Japan).
Before the Olympic Games, Amoyan once again achieved success at the continental level, becoming a three-time European champion. At the 2024 European Championships in Bucharest, the Armenian representative was in his best form: he prematurely defeated Italian Riccardo Abbrescia, dealt with a very strong Russian Adlet Tyulyubaev 3-2, defeated Moldovan Alexandru Gutu in the semifinals, and once again left no chance for Turkish Yunus Basar, winning 7-0 in the final.
European Championships 2024 (77 kg):
- Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia).
- Yunus Basar (Turkey).
- Yuri Lomadze (Georgia).
- Adlet Tyulyubaev (Russia).
Thus, since 2021, Malkhas Amoyan has returned with a medal from all major tournaments. Remarkably, he has not lost a single final bout during this period, whether it was a final for gold or a small final for bronze.
At the 2024 Olympic Games, Amoyan’s main competitors will be Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan), Nao Kusaka (Japan), Senan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan), Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan), Zoltan Levai (Hungary), as well as the cousin of MMA fighter Eduard Vardanyan, Aram Vardanyan (Uzbekistan), and the wrestler from Akhalkalaki, Aik Mnatsakanian, representing Bulgaria.
Given all the previous results before the Olympics, it can be said with confidence that Malkhas Amoyan will definitely be fighting for medals. In the draw, he will be seeded 4th and will face his main competitors only at the semi-final stage, where his opponent might be Nao Kusaka (Japan).
Preliminary draw of seeded wrestlers, 77 kg, Greco-Roman wrestling.
"I will do everything to return from the Paris Olympics with a gold medal, too," Amoyan said before leaving for Paris.
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