Oksen Mirzoyan


Oksen Mirzoyan is a former Soviet Armenian weightlifter and European, World and Olympic Champion. Mirzoyan was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR title in 1984 and the Honored Coach of Armenia title in 1998.

Biography

He was born in the village of Angeghakot, Sisian Oblast, Armenian SSR. In 1965, his family moved to the village Baghramyan, Echmiadzin region. In 1977, he began weight training under the guidance of Ashot Vilasyana. In the following year, he was able to perform with the normal masters of sports of the USSR.
In 1981, Mirzoyan became a member of the USSR national weightlifting team. Mirzoyan became a European and World Champion in 1983 by winning gold medals at the 1983 World Weightlifting Championships and 1983 European Weightlifting Championships, both in Moscow. In the course of both the competitions, Mirzoyan set new world records in the snatch, clean and jerk and the total exercise, all in the bantamweight division. Due to the 1984 Summer Olympics boycott, Mirzoyan was unable to participate that year. As the reigning World Champion, he would have been the favorite to win the Olympic gold medal.
In early 1988, Mirzoyan's rival Neno Terziyski failed a doping test, resulting in a ban from weightlifting. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Mirzoyan came in second place, behind the original first-place winner Mitko Grablev. However, Grablev also tested positive for doping and was disqualified. Thus, the title of Olympic Champion and the Olympic gold medal went on to Oksen Mirzoyan.
Oksen Mirzoyan completed his weightlifting career in 1991 and later took up coaching and sports officiating. He became the head coach of the Armenian national weightlifting team. Mirzoyan was also the Chairman of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation from 1998–2004. As of 2004, Mirzoyan is the Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia and the director of the Yerevan School Sports in weightlifting. Mirzoyan was reelected one of the Vice-Presidents of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia on 9 March 2013.

Personal life

Mirzoyan coaches his son, European Champion and Vice-World Champion Arakel Mirzoyan, who followed in his father's footsteps and took up weightlifting. Arakel competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London for Armenia. Oksen has also coached his nephew, Arayik Mirzoyan, who is also a weightlifter.

Other weightlifting achievements