Artur Davtyan, Harutyun Merdinyan are ceremoniously welcomed at Yerevan international airport (PHOTOS)

By Lusine Shahbazyan

The night before, there was a celebration again at Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan. Armenian sports fans greeted the first world artistic gymnastics champion of independent Armenia with great pomp.

Gold medalist Artur Davtyan, bronze medalist Harutyun Merdinyan, and the rest of the Armenian artistic gymnastics national team returned home in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Artur Davtyan, who has become world artistic gymnastics champion of independent Armenia for the first time, was welcomed at the arrival hall with applause, national music, and chants.

At the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships that was held in Liverpool, UK, bronze medalist of the Tokyo Olympic Games, European champion, European Games champion, and World Cup winner Artur Davtyan surpassed all competitors—with 15,050 points—in the final of the Men’s Vault and was declared the world champion. 

And Harutyun Merdinyan, current European champion, world bronze medalist, captain of the Armenian national team, became a bronze medalist in the Pommel Horse for the second time. Also, Merdinyan broke a record as he was the oldest participant and the gymnast to win a medal in the history of artistic gymnastics.

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