Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenian: Արսեն Ջուլֆալակյան, born 8 May 1987)[2] is an Armenian Greco-Roman style wrestler, Olympic silver medalist, World and European Champion, World Cup winner and three-time Olympian.

Arsen Julfalakyan
Julfalakyan in 2021
Personal information
Born (1987-05-08) 8 May 1987 (age 37)
Gyumri, Armenia
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
PositionUnited World Wrestling Bureau Member[1]
EventGreco-Roman
ClubKSV Aalen
Coached byAram Gasparyan
Aram Julfalakyan
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  Armenia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 74 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Tashkent 75 kg
Silver medal – second place 2010 Moscow 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Istanbul 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Budapest 74 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Vilnius 74 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Vantaa 75 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Belgrade 74 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Bucharest 77 kg
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Clermont-Ferrand 74 kg
Gold medal – first place 2010 Yerevan 74 kg
Summer Universiade
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kazan 74 kg

Early life

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Julfalakyan was born in the city of Leninakan (now Gyumri), Armenia. He is the son of renowned European, World and Olympic Champion, Armenian national Greco-Roman wrestling team head coach Levon Julfalakyan. Under the guidance of his father, Arsen began wrestling at age 11.[3]

Career

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In the years 2001, 2003, and 2004, Julfalakyan won the Junior Armenian Championship, and won the Cadet European Championships in 2003 and 2004 and the Junior World Championships in 2007.

Arsen, age 21, competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He was eliminated in his second match, coming in tenth place.[4]

Julfalakyan was a member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team at the 2009 Wrestling World Cup.[5] The Armenian team came in third place. Julfalakyan personally won a bronze medal.[6]

Julfalakyan won the gold medal at the 2009 European Wrestling Championships in Vilnius and the silver medal in the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow.

Julfalakyan was a member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team at the 2010 Wrestling World Cup.[7] The Armenian team came in third place. Julfalakyan personally won a gold medal.[8]

Arsen made his Olympic return at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He advanced to the finals without losing a single point, but faced defeat in the finals against Roman Vlasov in a tensely contested match. Vlasov called Julfalakyan his idol afterwards.[9] Julfalakyan won an Olympic silver medal, the first Olympic silver medal won by an Armenian representative in sixteen-years.[10] At the closing ceremony, Julfalakyan was the flag bearer of Armenia.[11] Julfalakyan was voted the Armenian Athlete of the Year for 2012.[12][13]

Julfalakyan won the gold medal at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships, the first for Armenia in Greco-Roman wrestling in 13 years. In the 2014 Grapple at the Garden in New York City, Julfalakyan defeated 4-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake in a Greco-Roman match. He won the "Dan Kolov and Nikola Petrov" international tournament in Sofia on 24 April and dedicated his victory to the victims of the Armenian genocide on the 100th anniversary, wearing a shirt commemorating the 1.5 million victims during the medal presentation.[14]

He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics but lost in the first round and didn't move onto the repechage.

In 2024, he competed at the Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico hoping to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[15] He was eliminated in his second match.[15]

Personal life

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Julfalakyan got married on 27 August 2012 in the St. Gevorg Church in Mughni.[16]

Arsen studied at Yerevan State University and received an International Relations faculty master's degree and PhD in History.

In 2021 Arsen Julfalakyan was elected as a Chairman of the United World Wrestling Athletes’ Commission.[17] He serves also as UWW Bureau Member. The Athletes' Commission was established in 2013 with the role of protecting the rights and interests of all United World Wrestling Olympic style athletes. The Athletes' Commission members reach out and communicate with active athletes as peers to collect feedback.

Awards

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Julfalakyan was awarded the "For Merit" 2nd degree medal in 2012[18] and the "For Service to Fatherland" 1st degree medal in 2014.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "About UWW". UWW.org. United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Supreme Certifying Committee". bok.am. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  3. ^ "London 2012: Armenian Olympians – Arsen Julfalakyan". NEWS.am Sport. 3 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  4. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Arsen Julfalakyan". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016.
  5. ^ "2009 FILA World Cup Results". fila-official.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  6. ^ "World Cup, Greco-Roman Seniors, 2009-02-20 Clermont-Ferrand (FRA), 74.0 kg". fila-official.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. ^ "2010 FILA World Cup Results" (PDF). fila-official.com. Retrieved 29 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "World Cup, Greco-Roman Seniors, 2010-02-13 Yerevan (ARM)". fila-official.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Olympic Greco-Roman winner: I admire Arsen Julfalakyan's style". PanArmenian.Net. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Arsen Julfalakyan". London2012.com. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  11. ^ "London 2012 closing ceremony – Flag bearers" (PDF). Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. 12 August 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Arsen Julfalakyan is Armenia's top athlete for 2012". sport.news.am. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Arsen Julfalakyan honored to be Armenia's 2012 Athlete of the Year". sport.news.am. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Ջուլֆալակյանը ոսկե մեդալ է նվաճել Սոֆիայում եւ հաղթանակը նվիրել է Հայոց ցեղասպանության զոհերի հիշատակին (ֆոտո)". sport.news.am (in Armenian). 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  15. ^ a b "2024 Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Arsen Julfalakyan got married". Lurer.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Julfalakyan Elected Athletes' Commission Chairman". UWW.org. United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Հայաստանի Հանրապետության մեդալներով պարգևատրելու մասին". President.am (in Armenian). 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Ա. Լ. ՋՈՒԼՖԱԼԱԿՅԱՆԻՆ "ՀԱՅՐԵՆԻՔԻՆ ՄԱՏՈՒՑԱԾ ԾԱՌԱՅՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԻ ՀԱՄԱՐ" 1-ԻՆ ԱՍՏԻՃԱՆԻ ՄԵԴԱԼՈՎ ՊԱՐԳԵՎԱՏՐԵԼՈՒ ՄԱՍԻՆ". President.am (in Armenian). 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
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