Tata Sings Darchinyan

This has to go down as one of Hyemarzig's better finds in a long time - Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan entering the ring to famous Armenian Pop star Tata's song dedicated to Darchinyan!

We'll be keeping a close eye on Darchinyan's next fight, which he still hasn't announced. Here are so potential opponents he will be considering:

ESPN Darchianyan Update

College Basketball Series, Part 1: Sooren Derboghossian

The NCAA basketball season is now in full swing, and there are several athletes of Armenian descent competing across the country. We will be showcasing a few of our favorite athletes.

What better place to kick things off than in Bruin land, where Sooren Derboghosian has become the first Armenian to compete for UCLA.

This 6'10", 240 lb. center hails from Teheran, Iran, and got his start in the Iranian national basketball program. However, Coach Ben Howland recruited him while he was playing at Glendale Community College in Glendale, CA. This article details his long journey to California:

Daily Bruin Article: Sooren Derboghosian

And here are some highlights of him on the floor:

Good luck to Sooren in his time at UCLA!

Baseball Announcer Matt Vasgergian

For those of you following Major League Baseball postseason play, you may have come across Matt Vasgergian announcing games. Vasgergian has been a host on MLB Network since its inception in 2009, and has previously served as a play-by-play announcer for such teams as the Milwaukee Brewers.

Matt originally hails from California, started his career as an actor, and went to USC.

Keep an eye and ear out for Matt as the baseball postseason heats up the next few weeks!

Italy v. Armenia - 10/12/12

Brazil 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifying continues this Friday for Armenia, as they face Italy at 9:00 p.m Yerevan time (9 a.m. Los Angeles time) at Hrazdan stadium. For our readers in Yerevan who attend this game, we would greatly appreciate picture uploads in the comment section. Balotelli v. Mkhitaryan. Pirlo v. Movsisyan.Wishing nothing but the best of luck and tremendous strength to our boys on this historic day!

Armenia Soccer 3rd in World Cup Qualifying

After two matches, Armenia (FIFA Rank #53) stands third in Group B qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

On September 7, 2012, Armenia beat Malta in Ta'Qali Stadium on an Artur Sarkisov 70th minute goal.

However, Armenia - which had a quick turnaround - played in Bulgaria just four days later and lost 0-1. It seemed that every time Armenian striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan would charge into the open field, he would immediately be horse-collared down to the pitch. The match eventually deteriorated into a dirty game - 1 red and 4 yellows were handed out to Bulgaria, 2 reds and four yellow to Armenia (most of Armenia's cards came in retaliation for poor, unsportsmanlike and flagrant play by the Bulgarians). Here are the "highlights," if you want to call it that, from the match.

Regardless, Armenia must regroup and move forward, as they now face world #6 Italy on October 12, 2012.

Abraham WBO Super Middleweight Champion

Back from a tiny hiatus to congratulate new WBO Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham. He earned a unanimous points win to dethrone champion Robert Stieglitz on August 25, 2012, in Berlin, Germany. Here is a brief analysis of Abraham's fight:

He started strongly, but the champion twice pinned him on the ropes in the second round and started to exert his authority. Stieglitz raised the tempo in the third and Abraham fell was behind on points going into the fourth. He responded with combinations to the body and head and one sharp hook left Stieglitz with swelling above his left eye.By the fifth, Stieglitz's face was marked and Abraham started to let his guard drop to lure the champion into mistakes.Stieglitz put together some good combinations in the seventh round and kept up his impressive work-rate, despite a cut above his right eye needing the attention of the ring doctor in the tenth.

Abraham, who was born in Yerevan, now resides and trains in Germany.  He has stated that Mike Tyson was his inspiration to become a fighter. Now crowned the champion, he has his sights on defending his belt against the likes of Daniel Geale or Felix Sturm. Here is some further insight on these possibilities:

Abraham Eyes Title Defense

Good luck to our Armenian hero!

Washington Huskies Football Coach Steve Sarkisian

With the spotlight quickly turning towards fall sports, we turn our focus to another Armenian American making headway in sports: Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian was born in Torrance, California, although his father is originally from Teheran, Iran.

Sarkisian has been the head football coach at Washington since 2009, but his previous college coaching stints included stops at El Camino College and USC. Sarkisian also served as the quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2004. His Huskies are poised to improved on their 7–6 (5–4 in Pac-12) record in 2011.

As a player, he starred at BYU, and still ranks third all time on the NCAA career passing efficiency rating (162.0). He also had a short stint playing professional football with the Sakatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

Here is a VIDEO (on the left) of Sarkisian at the 2012 Pac 12 Media Day talking about the upcoming season:

Good luck to him this year!

Armenian Olympic Medalists Welcomed Home

Armenia's three Olympic medalists arrived in Yerevan on August 14, 2012, to overwhelming support by local fans. It is especially rewarding to see the appreciation being shown Armenia's first female medalist ever, Hripsime Khurshudyan, for her history-making performance.

Although the below VIDEO is in Armenian, the love, excitement, and jubilation needs no translation. Please click on the link and press play directly on the embedded VIDEO.

CLICK HERE:
Olympian Arrival Video

Artur Aleksanyan Wins Armenia's Second Bronze

Artur Aleksanyan (Greco Roman wrestling 66kg) has just won Armenia's third medal at the 2012 London Olympics, a bronze! The young 20 year old beat Turkey's Ildem in the quarterfinals to earn a Bronze medal match against Cuba's Estrada. With a flip in the first round, and a push-out in the second, Aleksanyan soared to a resounding victory! We congratulate Aleksanyan and all of Team Armenia!

Here is some VIDEO of our newest hero in previous action:

BREAKING NEWS: ARSEN JULFALAKYAN WINS SILVER

Arsen Julfalakyan (men's Greco Roman wrestling 74kg) has just won Armenia's second silver medal ever!

Here is a link about Arsen:

Arsen Julfalakyan

And here is some VIDEO of him in previous action:

BREAKING NEWS: Hripsime Khurshudyan Wins Armenia's First Medal

Hripsime Khurshudyan (Women's 75+ kg Weightlifting) has just medaled for Armenia! With a lift of 128 kg in the snatch, and 166 kg (total 294) in the clean and jerk, Hripsime won a bronze for Armenia! Congratulations, we are all thrilled for you, and thank you for representing us with pride!!!

The Future of Armenian Soccer, Henrikh Mkhitaryan!

Thought we'd take a break from all the Olympic coverage and mix things up by featuring whom I believe is the future of Armenian Soccer: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. At the tender age of 23, Henrikh already has the second most goals for any Armenian Soccer player all-time (8). During the 2010-2011 season, Henrikh's rights were bought by the the Uranian league champion Shakhtar Donetsk for $7.5 million. His upside is limitless, and it's no wonder he's been dubbed the "Maestro" of Armenian Soccer. Check out footage of this young stud, and endless luck to him indeed!

USA Women's Gymnastics Coach Artur Akopyan

One of the American Olympic gymnasts - McKayla Maroney - is coached by Artur Akopyan. The below excerpt comes courtesy of one our followers, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude for this timely contribution:

 

McKayla is one of the 5 members of the team that is favored to win the team gold. The U.S. team (of which McKayla was a member) won the 2011 world championships as a team, so they are the reigning world champions going into the Olympics. More importantly for McKayla (and Artur) is that McKayla is the reigning individual world champion on vault and is also favored to win an individual gold medal on vault at these Olympics. He has therefore coached her to a team gold (where each gymnast has her own coach) and an individual vault gold, both at the 2011 world championships. Also, she is favored to win team gold (again, every gymnast has her own coach) and an individual vault gold during these Olympics. The team competes on Tuesday, and the vault event final is on Sunday.

 

If you'd like to read further about McKayla, please follow these two links: 

McKayla Maroney

 

McKayla Maroney Profile

As for Artur Akopyan, he qualified for the 1980 and 1984 Olympics as a member of Team USSR, but was unable to compete in either for reasons he details in the video attached to the right. Akopyan has coached the other U.S. National team members for years, and now runs his own gym.

 

Akopyan Video

 

 

Akopyan's Gym

NBC: Nothing But Crappy Olympic Coverage

     Armenia gets very few chances at shining under the international limelight. This is why many of us anxiously, patiently wait every other year for the Summer and Winter Olympics for that special moment when Armenia is introduced for the world to see. Normally, this proud moment is a goose bump-filled, tears-of-joy moment of pride.

     This year's incompetent coverage by NBC has left us all wanting something more, however. After introducing Armenia, NBC's inept announcer (Bob Costas) simply said "Armenia..." ... and paused. Now I do know they did very brief recaps of countries they had missed during commercial breaks, and I did hear him whine that they have never seen the countries introduced so quickly. But, honestly, are you kidding!?! This is what contingency plans are for! From General Electric (NBC's parent company), to Jeff Zucker, all the way down to this useless announcer, everyone has to be held accountable. You mean to tell me not one of them planned a word or two for each country in the four years they have had (not to mention endless millions of dollars) getting ready for the Olympics? Shame on you NBC!

     For anyone who may believe I am over-reacting, then surely the newly-formed Facebook page "NBC Sucks" and its 5,931 members justifies my reaction. In the mean time, Bob Costas, you fool, why don't you read this link and educate yourself...

Armenia 

BREAKING NEWS: Arsen Galstyan Wins Gold!!!

Armenian judoka Arsen Galstyan of Russia (previous world ranking #5) just beat heavily favored Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan in the Gold Medal match. Although he is not representing Armenia, he is the first Armenian medal winner. Bravo Arsen!
Read the article:

 Galstyan Celebrates title success

Team Armenia: Opening Ceremonies

Our heroes were just introduced just moments ago during the opening ceremony parade in London! Here is a still photo with our vibrant tricolors radiating for the whole world to see.

Diasporan Armenian Olympians

The countdown is on, the tension is rising! We are just a few hours away from the Opening Ceremonies, and our athletes have just touched down in London. As we continue to highlight Diasporan Armenians competing under various flags of the world, here is an updated list to keep on your radars!

Misha Aloian (Russia/Boxing) (pictured below);
Gabriel Melconian Alvez (Uruguay/Swimming);
David Ayrapetyan (Russia/Boxing);
Artur Ayvazyan (Ukraine/Shooting);
Arsen Galstyan (Russia/Judo);
Vazgen Safaryants (Belarus/Boxing);



All contributions we missed are welcome - please post them as comments, below!

USA Womens Water Polo Coach Adam Krikorian

Just as in every Olympics, there will Armenians from throughout the Diaspora participating from numerous countries. We will be highlighting such individuals in the weeks to come. One example is Adam Krikorian, who hails from the Northern California city of Mountain View, California. He has been a water polo coach at UCLA since 1996, and the head women's water polo coach since 1997. He became head coach of Team U.S.A. Women's Water Polo in 2009. Let's keep an eye on him as his team marches towards gold in London!

Here's an article about him:

U.S.A. Women's Water Polo London 2012

NBA: OKC Thunder's Rex Kalamian

Following in the footsteps of legendary Armenian American NBA coaches such as Jerry Tarkanian, Kalamian hails from Southern California and graduated from Cal Poly Pamona in 1993. He joined Oklahoma City Thunder Coach Scott Brooks' staff in 2009 following short stints with various teams (Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers). Previously, he worked with the L.A. Clippers in various capacities, including an assistant coached, for 9 years.

Check out his profile:

Rex Kalamian Profile

Profiling Our Olympians

PanArmenian.net just put up this amazing photo spread introducing our Olympians:

Olympian Pictures

Team Armenia Olympic Uniforms

Just browsed the web for updates on our Olympians, with the opening ceremony just 5 days away. Low-and-behold, here is what our heroes' threads will look like. Anyone confused? What is this, team Poland? Did they forget the blue and orange? Or am I just  over-reacting? Thoughts, anyone?

Anyways, check out this article:

Armenian Olympic Uniforms

Basketball: Armenian National Basketball Team Announcement

It seems that Armenia's National Basketball program is tackling its heretofore post-independence futility and irrelevance head on. Recently, they made the exciting announcement that they are redirecting their program in an entirely new direction, naming an Armenian American as head coach and opening the doors for Diasporan Armenians to join the team. Go Team Armenia!!!

Bardakian Named Head Coach

Rising Soccer Star: Joaquin Boghossian

Heard about Joaquin Boghossian from Uruguay some time back (thanks to my brother) - hopefully he'll be on the world stage in Brazil if Uruguay qualifies in 2014!

Player Profile: Joaquin Boghossian

Tennis: Nalbandian blunder

Guarantee you David Nalbandian wishes he could undo this. Let's hope this is NOT what his career is defined by. Nalbandian got disqualified from playing at the 2012 Champions Final of the Queens Cup because he kicked the line judge.
Watch!

Armenian NFL player

 There's an Armenian in the NFL? Who knew?

Jeff Tarpinian 

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster/Jeff-Tarpinian/5b7601ef-9007-4047-b614-0cb2e090821c

Boxing: Arthur Abraham

Arthur Abraham announces new fight. Go Arthur!

http://www.boxingscene.com/scott-harrison-abraham-vs-stieglitz-more-on-boxnation--54102

Armenian 2012 Olympians

 

What better way to start my blog, than to honor our 25 athletes who will be representing us in London.

Here is the link that just went public on www.london2012.com.

Enjoy, and good luck to our heroes!http://www.london2012.com/athletes/country=armenia/index.htmx

Unfortunately, one of our female gold medal hopefuls has just torn her ACL.