Armenia’s 2-time world champion Malkhas Amoyan is welcomed with great pomp at Yerevan international airport (PHOTOS)

By Lusine Shahbazyan

Numerous fans, representatives of the sports world, and members of Armenia’s Yezidi community were at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport tonight to welcome two-time Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Malkhas Amoyan back home.

Amoyan, as well as bronze medalists Slavik Galstyan and Hrachya Poghosyan returned to their homeland with the Greco-Roman wrestling team of Armenia.

Fans and friends greeted Malkhas Amoyan with applause and traditional folk music in the airport’s arrival hall. And after receiving the laurel, the world champion was thrown into the air.

The Greco-Roman wrestling team of Armenia won three medals at the Wrestling World Championships being held in Zagreb, Croatia.

Malkhas Amoyan was declared a two-time world champion with glorious victories in the 77kg weight category. The bronze medalist of the Paris Olympics defeated the champion of the Paris Olympics, Nao Kusaka (Japan) 9-1 in the final.

Slavik Galstyan became the bronze medalist in the 67kg weight category, and won his second bronze medal at the world championships.

And European bronze medalist Hrachya Poghosyan won his first world championship bronze medal in his professional sports career in the 60kg weight category.