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Artur Akopyan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Artur Akopyan
Full nameArtur Akopyan
Born (1961-09-28) September 28, 1961 (age 64)
Yerevan, Soviet Armenia, USSR
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented
ClubTrudoviye Reservi Club
GymAll Olympia Gymnastics Center (AOGC)
Head coach
Genrikh Vanisyan
Retired1985
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing the  Soviet Union
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1979 Fort WorthTeam
Gold medal – first place1981 MoscowTeam
Gold medal – first place1983 BudapestVault
Silver medal – second place1981 MoscowHigh bar
Silver medal – second place1981 MoscowVault
Silver medal – second place1983 BudapestTeam
Bronze medal – third place1983 BudapestAll-around

Artur Akopyan (Armenian: Արթուր Հակոբյան born September 28, 1961) is an Armenian gymnastics coach and a former artistic gymnast. He is credited as the first athlete to do a Tsukahara double twist. Akopyan received three scores of 10 at the 1981 World Championships in Moscow. His competitive career included the 1983 World vault title, in addition to three other World individual medals.

Gymnastics career

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Akopyan was part of the gold medal winning teams at the 1979 and 1981 World Championships. Additionally he won a silver medal with the Soviet team at the 1983 World Championships where he also won an individual gold medal on vault. He retired in 1985.

Coaching career

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After his competitive career, Akopyan moved to the United States and began coaching. He gained recognition in the United States after Bela Karolyi asked him to help gymnast Kim Zmeskal. Within a couple of days, Akopyan was able to help Zmeskal with elements of her compulsory routine that she had been working on for a year.[1][2][3][4] He served as a member of the national team coaching staff from 1989 to 2004.[5]

Akopyan previously coached 2012 Olympic champion McKayla Maroney.

In 2016, Akopyan's former athlete Mattie Larson filed a lawsuit against All Olympic Gymnastics and its directors, Akopyan and Galina Marinova, claiming that the "abusive, harassing and degrading environment" at the gym led to a situation of secrecy which enabled Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor, to sexually assault her." They settled the lawsuit for $1 million.[6]

In 2024, ten more of his former gymnasts told The Washington Post that Akopyan physically abused them or their teammates when they were girls, including nine who said he had thrown young gymnasts to the ground in anger, sometimes hard enough to leave bruises.[7]

Competitive history

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Year Event AA Team VT HB PH FX
1976USSR Cup (junior)1st
1977USSR Championships (junior)1st
Friendship Tournament6th1st
All-Union Youth Sports Games1st
1978USSR Championships (junior)2nd
Friendship Tournament (junior)4th1st2nd
1979USSR Spartakiade13th5th
USSR Championships6th5th4th
USSR-ROM Dual Meet1st1st
USSR-GDR Dual Meet1st1st
USSR Cup1st2nd3rd1st
Chunichi Cup3rd
Tokyo Cup1st1st
1980USSR Cup6
Moscow News3rd
1981USSR Cup11th2nd
USSR Championships5th1st2nd
University Games3rd5th6th7th
Milan Grand Prix4th
World Championships8th1st2nd2nd
1983USSR Spartakiade3rd1st
USSR Cup2nd1st3rd
USSR Championships5th1st4th6th
USA-USSR Dual Meet6th1st
Dynamo Spartakiade3rd
Riga International1st1st1st
World Championships3rd2nd1st
1985USSR Cup6th
USSR Championships6th8th

References

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  1. ↑ "USA Gymnastics: Artur Akopyan".
  2. ↑ Zakharian, Lianna (Jan–Feb 2011). "Spotting the Champions". Yerevan Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ "All Olympia Gymnastics Center: Staff". All Olympia Gymnastics Center. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  4. ↑ "USA Gymnastics: McKayla Maroney". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  5. ↑ "USA Gymnastics: Artur Akopyan". Archived from the original on October 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "All Olympia finalizes a settlement with Mattie Larson". Gymnovosti. November 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Accused of abuse — and back in the gym". The Washington Post. July 23, 2024.
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