Roman Amoyan | |
Birth Date: | 1983 9, df=yes |
Birth Place: | Yerevan, Armenia |
Weight: | 55kg (121lb) |
Sport: | Wrestling |
Event: | Greco-Roman |
Club: | Dynamo Yerevan |
Coach: | Azis Amoyan |
Show-Medals: | yes |
Roman Amoyan [ɻɔmɑn ɑmɔjɑn] (hy|Ռոման Ամոյան; born 3 September 1983) is an Armenian retired Greco-Roman wrestler of Kurdish descent. He is an Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World Championships medalist, and two-time European Champion. Amoyan received the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 2009.[1]
Roman was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR to Kurds–Yazidi parents. He started wrestling in 1995 and became a Junior World Champion in 2001 and a Junior European Champion in 2002. He is uncle of Malkhas Amoyan.[2]
Amoyan won the Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg. Amoyan was Armenia's first Olympic medalist in wrestling in 16 years.[3]
He won a bronze medal in 2009 and a silver medal in 2010 at the World Wrestling Championships. Amoyan also won a gold medal in 2006 and three silver medals in 2003, 2005, and 2008 at the European Wrestling Championships.
Amoyan was a member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team at the 2010 Wrestling World Cup.[4] The Armenian team came in third place. Amoyan personally won a gold medal.[5]
In 2011, Amoyan was voted the Armenian Athlete of the Year. He had suffered a severe head injury early in the European Championships that year, but still bravely fought on, with a bloody wrapping on his head the whole time. Amoyan went on become a two-time European Champion despite the injury.[6]
He failed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[7] Amoyan won another bronze medal at the World Championships in 2013 and another silver at the European Championships in 2016.
Amoyan is married. His wife is a doctor. They have a daughter.[8]