Norair Nurikjan

Norair Nurikjan ( Bulgarian Нораир Нурикян , English transcription Norair Nurikyan ; born July 26, 1948 in Sliven ) is a former Bulgarian weightlifter of Armenian origin. He was Olympic champion in bantam and featherweight in 1972 and 1976 .

Career

Norair Nurikjan comes from an Armenian family who lived in Sliven. He first played basketball in his youth but was discovered as a weightlifter in a talent scouting event. In this sport he made rapid progress due to his excellent physical condition. He was soon accepted into the Bulgarian national junior team and coached there by Ivan Abajiev . He found his economic base as a member of the Army at the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA) in Sofia .

At the age of 20 he was used at the World and European Championships in Warsaw . That was his first start in an international championship. He managed there in the bantamweight in the Olympic three-way fight 317.5 kg (92.5-100-125) and thus took 5th place in the world championship and even won the bronze medal in the European championship.

His next use at an international championship completed Nurikjan in 1971 at the European championship in Sofia . He managed there in the Olympic three-way featherweight 380 kg (120-115-145), which was only enough for 5th place. The winner there was Jan Wojnowski from Poland , who weighed 397.5 kg. At the World Championships in Lima in 1971 , he again managed 380 kg and came in 5th place like at the European Championships.

In 1972 he increased to 387.5 kg (120-117.5-157.5) at the European Championships in Constanța in the Olympic triathlon, but was relegated to 2nd place by Dito Schanidze from the USSR , who reached 395 kg . At the Olympic Games in Munich , however, he was able to turn the tables. He reached a new three-way world record with 402.5 kg (127.5-117.5-157.5) and won the gold medal ahead of Dito Schanidze, who weighed 400 kg (127.5-120-152.5) increased.

In 1973 Nurikjan was not quite in the shape of 1972. He was relegated to 2nd place at both the European Championships that year in Madrid and the World Championships in Havana by Dito Shanidze in the featherweight division. The gaps were always close, of course. In Madrid, Schanidese won the new duel (pressing had been abolished at the end of 1972) with 272.5: 270 kg and in Havana with 272.5 kg: 267.5 kg.

In 1974 Nurikjan went back one place at the European Championships in Verona and at the World Championships in Manila . He took 3rd place both times. In Verona he lost with 265 kg (115-150) to his compatriot Georgi Todorow , 272.5 kg u. Dito Shanidze, who also reached 272.5 kg and in Manila, where he increased to 277.5 kg (122.5-155), he stayed behind Georgi Todorow, 280 kg (125-155) and Nikolai Kolesnikow from the USSR , which like him reached 277.5 kg, but was a little lighter.

At the World and European Championships in Moscow in 1975 , Nurikjan had to train briefly in the bantamweight at the behest of coach Ivan Abajev for team tactical reasons. But this change did him badly, because weakened by excessive weight gain he made three failed attempts at this competition in the tear and therefore remained unplaced.

In 1976 he had to repeat the ordeal of training off at the international championships. At the European Championships in Berlin (East) he succeeded well and he was with 255 kg (110-145) European champion in the duel before Leszek Skorupa from Poland and Karel Prohl from the CSSR . Also at the Olympic Games in Montreal he trained in the bantamweight and landed there with 262.5 kg (117.5-145) in a duel, his second Olympic victory , where he was Grzegorz Cziura from Poland, 252.5 kg and Kenchiko Ando from Japan , 250 kg (107.5-142.5) left behind.

After these Olympics, he ended his career in weightlifting. Nurikjan started studying sport at the Sport University in Sofia while he was still active. He completed this degree and became a coach, at times even head coach, of the Bulgarian national weightlifting team. He later became general secretary of the Bulgarian Weightlifting Association. In these functions he was responsible for many successes achieved by Bulgarian weightlifters together with the association president Anton Kodschabaschew , Ivan Abadschiew and other officials and coaches. Unfortunately, he was also responsible for many doping scandals in which Bulgarian weightlifters were involved in those years. Doping among Bulgarian weightlifters has been a common thread since the 1976 Olympic Games, where gold medalist Valentin Christow and silver medalist Blagoj Blagoev were doped, until 2008, when the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team, a total of eleven athletes, were convicted of doping , through the Bulgarian weightlifting sport.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class
1969	5.	WM + EM (3rd) in Warsaw	Bantam	with 317.5 kg (92.5-100-125), behind Mohamed Nassiri , Iran , 360 kg, Atanas Kirow , Bulgaria , 347.5 kg, Hiroki Ono, Japan , 342.5 kg u. Zorro Fiat, Romania , 330 kg
1970	6th	Intern. Tournament in Minsk	feather	with 345 kg (110-105-130) behind Golubzow, USSR , 380 kg
1971	5.	EM in Sofia	feather	with 380 kg (120-115-145), behind Jan Wojnowski , Poland , 397.5 kg, Dito Schanidze , USSR, 395 kg, Janos Benedek , Hungary , 390 kg a. Mladen Kuchev , Bulgaria , 385 kg
1971	5.	World Cup in Lima	feather	with 380 kg (120-115-145)
1972	2.	EM in Constanța	feather	with 387.5 kg (120-117.5-150), behind Dito Schanidze, 395 kg, in front of Mieczysław Nowak , Poland, 375 kg
1972	gold	OS in Munich	feather	with 402.5 kg (127.5-117.5-157.5), before Dito Schanidse , 400 kg (127.5-120-152.5) ​​and Janos Benedek, 390 kg
1973	1.	Intern. Tournament in Berlin (East)	feather	with 250 kg, before Borczynski, Poland, 230 kg
1973	1.	Intern. Tournament in Paris	feather	with 260 kg (115–145), before Janos Benedek, 255 kg
1973	2.	EM in Madrid	feather	with 270 kg (122.5–147.5), behind Dito Schanidse , 272.5 kg, in front of Janos Benedek, 267.5 kg
1973	2.	World Cup in Havana	feather	with 267.5 kg (115–152.5), behind Dito Schanidse , 272.5 kg, in front of Jan Wojnowski , 257.5 kg
1973	1.	Balkan Games	feather	with 265 kg (120–145)
1974	3.	EM in Verona	feather	with 265 kg (115–150), behind Georgi Todorow , Bulgaria, 272.5 kg (120–152.5) ​​and Ditto Schanidze , 272.5 kg (120–152.5)
1974	3.	World Cup in Manila	feather	with 277.5 kg (122.5–155), behind Georgi Todorow, 280 kg (125–155) and Nikolai Kolesnikov , USSR, 277.5 (120–157.5)
1974	1.	Balkan Championships in Burgas	feather	with 270 kg (120–150), off Grigoras, Romania, 232.5 kg
1975	1.	Danube Cup tournament in Donaueschingen	feather	with 270 kg (120–150), before Janos Benedek, 255 kg a. Karel Prohl , CSSR , 247.5 kg
1975	unpl.	WM + EM in Moscow	Bantam	after three failed attempts in tearing; Winner: Atanas Kirov, Bulgaria, 255 kg
1975	1.	Balkan Championships in Sombor	feather	with 260 kg, before Grigoras, 247.5 kg
1976	1.	EM in Berlin (East)	Bantam	with 255 kg (110-145), in front of Leszek Skorupa , Poland, 252.5 kg a. Karel Prohl, 252.5 kg
1976	gold	OS in Montreal	Bantam	with 262.5 kg (117.5-145) in front of Grzegorz Cziura , Poland, 252.5 kg a. Kenchiko Ando , Japan, 250 kg

WM + EM individual medals

• World Cup gold medals: 1972 / Push / Spring - 1973 / Push / Spring - 176 / Tear / Bantam - 1976 / Push / Bantam
• World Cup silver medals: 1974 / tear / spring
• World Cup bronze medals: 171 / push / spring - 1972 / push / spring - 1974 / push / spring
• EM gold medals: 1973 / tearing / spring - 1976 / pushing / bantam
• European Championship silver medals: 1972 / tearing / spring - 1972 / pushing / spring - 1973 / pushing / spring - 1976 / tearing / bantam
• European Championship bronze medals: 1969 / push / bantam - 1975 / push / spring

World records

date	place	discipline	Weight class	power
04/12/75	Donaueschingen	Tear	feather	127 kg
6/12/75	Yambol	Tear	feather	127.5 kg
29.8.72	Munich	Olympus. Triathlon	feather	402.5 kg (127.5-117.5-157.5)
7/18/76	Montreal	Duel	Bantam	262.5 kg (117.5–145)

Explanations

• until 1972 all competitions in the Olympic three-way fight, consisting of pushing, tearing and pushing,
• since 1973 all competitions in single combat, consisting of snatch and push,
• OS = Olympic Games,
• WM = World Championship,
• EM = European Championship,
• Bantam weight, then up to 56 kg body weight,
• Featherweight, at that time up to 60 kg body weight,
• In 1972 and 1976 the results at the Olympic Games were also considered World Cup results

swell

• Trade journal athletics ,
• Website "www.chidlovski.net",
• Website "www.sports-reference.com"

Web links

• Norair Nurikjan in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Profile of Norair Nurikjan in the lift-up project at chidlovski.net (English)