Eight pairs of athletes lay writhing on a blue and red mat, intertwined in a contorted embrace. The air was quiet except for the occasional gasp as the Greco-Roman wrestlers struggled to pin their sparring partners' shoulders to the ground.
In a gym in Yerevan's outskirts, the athletes are training for the upcoming Olympics. Among these is Yuri Patrikeev, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, who will participate in the men's 120-kg category in London this summer.
Born in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Russia, the 32-year-old wrestler has been representing Armenia since 2005. As he crouched on the floor during a brief break from his training routine, Patrikeev said he was proud to stand for his adopted country. "I love Armenia," his said.
Armenian News
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