Oslo. The Ezidi Armenian wrestler Malkhas Amoyan won a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championship today in Oslo. The 22-year-old defeated his Russian opponent Sergey Kutuzov 3-1 in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 72 kilogram division, joining the list of notable Armenian athletes to win a gold medal at championships.

By winning his first championship medal, Amoyan is also the first to win a gold medal for Armenia at the World Wrestling Championships which will run until November 10, 2021. Amoyan was deeply moved after his victory, stating that he could not “put his victory into words”, adding that he dedicated his gold medal “to the entire Armenian and Ezidi nation,” Amoyan told Armenian media.

Malkhas Amoyan after his gold medal success at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo

Amoyan, born in 1999 in the Armenian capital Yerevan, comes from an Ezidi wrestling family. His uncle is Roman Amoyan, who, inter alia, won the European Championship in 2006 and the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.