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In One Shot: Shahinyan’s first big success, the cup of 1949 Budapest festival


Photo: Mediamax

Photo: Mediamax


The personal possessions, medals and cups of Olympic champion Hrant Shahinyan are kept in good care by his family.

Another keeper of a place dedicated to the brilliant gymnast is the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport. Shahinyan donated one of his cups to the institute. In this issue of our In One Shot series we tell the story of the cup Hrant Shahinyan won in 1949 in Budapest.


Before becoming an Olympic champion, Hrant Shahinyan cemented a place in the USSR team, proving to the coaches he was among top athletes worldwide.

He registered his first big success in Budapest, 1949. The Armenian gymnast won 6 gold medals in the Global Festival of Youth and Students. It was at that time that member of the USSR team Victor Chukarin approached Shahinyan and said, “You shameless man, you left nothing for us!”

Shaninyan’s wife Emma recalls:

“Hrant came from Budapest to Moscow, where I was at that moment, and we returned to Armenia by train. President Simonyan of the Sports Committee assigned to find out which wagon Shahinyan took in order to meet him in Yerevan. The train stopped in the town of Kirovakan [now Vanadzor]. Hrant was looking out of the window when a few young men approached him hastily and asked if we knew where Hrant Shahinyan was seated. He said, “I am Hrant, what’s up?” And the young men replied, “Come on, man, not a good time to joke!” and ran to the other end of the train.”  

In the morning, Shahinyan arrived in Yerevan and was greeted by a crowd of fans accompanied by a brass band.

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