Armenia at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Armenia at the
2016 Summer Olympics
IOC codeARM
NOCNational Olympic Committee of Armenia
Websitewww.armnoc.am (in Armenian)
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors32 in 8 sports
Flag bearer Vahan Mkhitaryan[1]
Medals
Ranked 42nd
Gold
1
Silver
3
Bronze
0
Total
4
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
 Russian Empire (1900–1912)
 Soviet Union (1952–1988)
 Unified Team (1992)

Armenia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.

The National Olympic Committee of Armenia fielded a team of 32 athletes, 24 men and 8 women, across eight different sports at the Games.[2][3] It was the nation's largest ever team sent to the Olympics, tying the record with the number of athletes achieved in Atlanta two decades earlier. The Armenian roster also highlighted its first ever female artistic gymnast, as well as the most female participation in its Olympic history.

Of the 32 participants, five of them competed at London 2012, including Greco-Roman wrestlers Arsen Julfalakyan (74 kg), who succeeded his father and head coach Levon to ascend the podium by taking the silver medal, and Artur Aleksanyan, who won a bronze in the heavyweight category, and later emerged himself as the reigning world champion twice (2013 and 2015). Other notable Armenian athletes featured American-born gymnast Houry Gebeshian, rifle shooter and 2014 Youth Olympic medalist Hrachik Babayan, and freestyle swimmer Vahan Mkhitaryan, who was selected by the committee to lead his delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1][4]

Armenia left Rio de Janeiro with four medals (one gold and three silver), being considered its most successful Olympics since 1996.[5] Among the nation's medalists were weightlifters Simon Martirosyan and Gor Minasyan, who each obtained silver in their respective weight categories, and Aleksanyan, who made history as Armenia's first ever Olympic champion after two decades, adding a gold to his career treasury of two world and three European titles.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b "Swimmer Vahan Mkhitaryan to be Armenia's flag bearer at Rio 2016". Yerevan: Armenpress. 21 July 2016.
  2. ^ "The line-up of the Armenian Rio 2016 Olympic team". National Olympic Committee of Armenia. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Armenia names 33 athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games". PanARMENIAN.Net. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Swimmer Vahan Mkhitaryan chosen as Armenia's Olympic flag-bearer". PanARMENIAN.Net. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Armenia Finishes With Four Medals at Rio 2016 Olympics". Armenian Weekly. 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Artur Aleksanyan Wins Armenia's First Gold Medal at Rio 2016". Armenian Weekly. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Gor Minasyan wins silver, secures Armenia's 4th Olympic medal". PanARMENIAN.Net. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.