Oksen Mirzoyan

Personal information
Born	11 June 1961 (1961-06-11) (age 62) Angeghakot, Armenian SSR
Height	1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Weight	56 kg (123 lb)
Sport
Sport	Weightlifting
Club	Dynamo Yerevan
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1988 Seoul -56 kg World Championships 1982 Ljubljana -56 kg 1983 Moscow -56 kg 1985 Södertälje -56 kg 1986 Sofia -56 kg 1987 Ostrava -60 kg European Championships 1982 Liubliana -56 kg 1983 Moscow -56 kg 1985 Katowice -56 kg 1986 Karl-Marx-Stadt -56 kg USSR Weightlifting Championships 1982 Dnipropetrovsk -56 kg 1983 Moscow -56 kg 1987 Arkhangelsk -60 kg 1988 Kharkov -56 kg 1990 Lipetsk -56 kg 1991 Donetsk -56 kg Summer Spartakiad of the USSR 1983 Moscow -56 kg 1991 Donetsk -56 kg Cups of the USSR 1979 Frunze -52 kg Snatch 1981 Donetsk -56 kg Snatch 1981 Donetsk -56 kg Clean and Jerk 1981 Donetsk -56 kg Total 1982 Moscow -56 kg Snatch 1982 Moscow -56 kg Clean and Jerk 1982 Moscow -56 kg Total 1985 Leningrad -56 kg Clean and Jerk 1985 Leningrad -56 kg Total

Oksen Mirzoyan (Armenian: Օգսեն Միրզոյան, born 11 June 1961) 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 (56 kg) division.^[1][2][3] 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.^[4]

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 to 2004.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

Other weightlifting achievements

• Senior world champion (1983);
• Silver medalist in Senior World Championships (1982 & 1985);
• Bronze medalist in Senior World Championships, senior European champion (1983);
• Silver medalist in European Championships (1982, 1985, 1986);
• Set fourteen world records during career.