Artur Ayvazian

Who is Artur Ayvazian?

Artur Surenovych Ayvazyan is an Olympic shooter for Ukraine who won a gold medal in the 50 metre rifle prone event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Born in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ayvazyan took up shooting in 1985 and moved to what is now Ukraine in 1990, when he competed in his first major international tournament as a junior. He won one medal as a junior, in 1993, before moving up to the senior division in 1994. He moved to Simferopol in 1997 to train with a new coach and captured his first ISSF World Cup victory the following year. As of 2012 he has participated in every edition of the Olympics since 2000 and has won six World and seven European Championship medals in individual and team events, including his junior bronze from 1993.