YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. One of the top weightlifters of Armenia, former champion of the world Tigran Martirosyan will not participate in the upcoming World Weightlifting Championship, which is scheduled to be held on October 16–27 in Wrocław, Poland. The Secretary General of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation, International Referee Pashik Alaverdyan informed "Armenpress" about this.

Among other things he noted that Tigran Martirosyan wants to take a break and have a rest to get ready for the 2014 competitions and European Weightlifting Championship in particular. The aforesaid championship will be held in Israel. The Armenian athlete aims to be qualified for the Olympics and show a successful performance in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Tigran was born on June 9, 1988 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR (now Gyumri, Armenia) to Gevorg Martirosyan, a well-known Armenian weightlifter, and Seda Yakhanedjyan.

Tigran had a successful youth career, becoming a 2003 European Vice-Champion and a 2004 European Champion. In the same year, he won the gold medal of the 2004 European Championship among juniors. The following year, he won a gold medal at the 2005 European Championships among juniors again. Martirosyan also set two world records as a junior in the snatch and the total, both in the lightweight (69 kg) division, and still holds both of these records to this day.

In 2006, Martirosyan began performing in adult level competitions. He competed at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships and came in 6th place in the lightweight category with a total of 306 kg.

Martirosyan won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, lifting 153 in the snatch, 185 in the clean & jerk and 338 kg in the total. Martirosyan had tied in total with French weightlifter Vencelas Dabaya. Because Dabaya weighed a little less than Martirosyan, he was awarded the silver medal instead, despite Martirosyan having also lifted the second greatest total. At the age of 20 years and 64 days, Martirosyan became the youngest Olympic medalist from the independent Rupublic of Armenia.

In 2009, Tigran Martirosyan moved to a heavier weight class, from lightweight (69 kg) to middleweight (77 kg).

Martirosyan debuted in the middleweight division at the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships in Goyang, where he took second place with a total of 370 kg, losing only to the Chinese weightlifter Lu Xiaojun, who set two of the three middleweight world records at the Championships.

Martirosyan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics and was Armenia's greatest gold medal hope. Unfortunately, he received a back injury just days before he was supposed to compete and was unable to participate. Martirosyan later revealed that this injury had been worsening over the past month. His injury was not as serious as his former one and he will be able to compete again the following year. He now has his sights set on the next Olympics.