Komsomolets. September 13, 1979. Eduard Azaryan, a member of the USSR Olympic team and a gymnast from Yerevan, is the 21-year-old son of the renowned athlete, world and Olympic champion on rings, Albert Azaryan. While his son still has a long way to go to match his father's medal count, he already has medals his father never had.
At the 1978 gymnastics World Cup, Eduard Azaryan won a bronze medal in the all-around competition and gold on the parallel bars. However, when the older Azaryan competed on the gymnastics platform, World Cups weren't being contested, but the traditional Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR were. At the seventh and most recent one, held this summer, Eduard became the all-around champion, reaching a height that had once been unattainable for this father.
"Eduard demanded far more attention than all my other three children," recalls his mother, Elizaveta Azaryan, also a former gymnast. "There wasn't a day when he came home without bruises and his clothes intact. He was eight years old when I brought him to the gymnastics school his father ran. We thought it was better to have him in front of us than running around the yard unsupervised."
At first, the gym seemed like a yard to Eduard, where he could walk on his hands and tumble all day. And when gymnastics became more demanding, he tried to slip classes and practices. But both his coach, Vartkes Arakelyan, and his parents wouldn't let their son be lazy, especially since they saw in him the makings of a top-notch gymnast. Later, he himself couldn't live without gymnastics.
"I train every day," Eduard Azaryan now says, "seven days a week, three hours a day. I train early in the morning and in the evening. During the day, I have classes at the Institute of Physical Education. I used to love diving too, and went to the boxing school of Olympic champion Vladimir Yengivaryan. Now I don't have time. I have to be serious about both my studies and gymnastics, and that takes a lot of time."
As a gymnast, Eduard excels in the floor exercise. He possesses unique elements, including a double layout, a moon salto, and a triple twist. But Azaryan considers the rings his favorite apparatus. Here, he perfectly replicated the famous 'Azaryan Cross,' and seasoned gymnastics fans say that watching him perform on the rings reminds them of his father - they're so similar. Azaryan's father was known for his extraordinary strength. Olympic all-around champion Nikolai Andrianov noted that Eduard is also physically one of the strongest gymnasts on our national team. He stands 175cm tall and weighs 67 kilograms.
"You won the Spartakiad against Andrianov. Did his resounding name as an Olympic champion influence your performance?" I ask Eduard.
"Previously, when I found out I'd be competing alongside Andrianov, I'd be shaking with nerves, I was so nervous. But at the Spartakiad, for the first time, I didn't even think about it. I had one goal - to win. And to secure a spot on the national team."
"However," Azaryan continues, "I'm not flattered by a victory over Andrianov. He had a breakdown on the rings - it was an accident. Andrianov is the leader of our team. And I think he'll remain the leader at the Moscow Olympics. And my job at the Games is to do everything in my power to ensure the team wins."
How do you spend your free time?
"I love music. From classical to rock. I listen depending on my mood. I love French novels: Balzac, Zola... I love hanging out with my dog. I had a shepherd, Ricky, but every time I left for a competition, he would sit by the door, start howling, and wouldn't calm down until I returned. Now I leave more and more often and I had to give Ricky to a friend. But as soon as I have to leave gymnastics, the first thing I'll do is get a shepherd puppy."
Why was your father never your coach?
"He himself said it was too hard for him. I'd start complaining that I was tired, and he'd let me rest. Maybe coach Vartkes Arakelyan always says, "let's do it one more time, then we'll rest." My father might be afraid to teach me super-difficult exercises. I owe everything to Vartkes Arakelyan. He made ma a gymanst."
Is it easy to be Azaryan in gymnastics?
It's hard in some ways, and easy in others. It's easy because I step onto the stage, read my name on the scoreboard, and get inspired. I'm like, "what a famous athlete, and that's my father!". But it's hard because I'm afraid of losing and not living up to my name.