On February 19 were executed 25 years since the birth of the known Russian judoist, the Olympic champion, the Honoured Master of Sports of Russia, Arsen Galstyan.

Arsen Galstyan was born on February 19, 1989 in Nerkin Karmirakhpyur Shamshadinskogo's village of the area Armenian the Soviet Socialist Republic (nowadays – the Republic of Armenia). At 7-year age our hero of the anniversary moved with a family to Russia — to the village Giaginskaya of the Republic of Adygea. Since the earliest childhood brothers of Arsen - Tigran and Armand (by the way, both are masters of sports in judo) involved it in sports activities. The love to single combats brought Arsen Galstyan into the Adygei school of judo. So he became the pupil of world famous Maikop school of the judo which founder, Koblev Yaqub Kamboletovich, is recognized as the best coach of Russia of the XX century on judo.

Extremely talented and promising athlete Arsen Galstyan in 2007 was a part of Russian national team on judo. Despite young age, Galstyan managed to subdue a set of tops of professional sports. He managed to win twice the World Cup and six time in a row to become the owner of the European cup among juniors. The athlete became the champion of Russia among juniors and twice among young men three times. In 2004 it won gold in the European championship among young men, in 2008 he managed to become world champion among juniors, and in a year at all the champion of Europe. The victory at the Olympic Games of 2012 in London where Galstyan in the final won a flawless victory over the Japanese judoist Hiroaka Hiraoka became quintessence of his professional career. It brought not only the first gold medal in a Russian national team moneybox at the Olympic Games of 2012 in London, but also the first gold medal in the history of the Russian judo, he also became the first Armenian judoist who has won the Olympic gold.

At once after the Olympic Games, within the patriotic educational program "Our Vera — Our Victory" the athlete accompanied by the Honored trainer of Russia Artush Kasemyan went on the historical homeland. There it received warm welcome from public figures, fans and athletes, visited noteworthy places of Armenia, accompanied by the family assigned flowers to the Memorial Tsitsernakaberd complex devoted to victims of Genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and a memorial to victims of the Spitak earthquake of 1988. The meeting with the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan where the head of state congratulated the athlete on a victory was important part of a trip and wished it further sports success. Then Galstyan for the first time, after moving on permanent residence to Russia, visited the native village where fellows villager with special warmth met the athlete and organized for it national festivals in honor of his victory. Also Galstyan visited pupils of rural school and gave them professional parting words, then the athlete met veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and expressed them the deepest gratitude for the Victory. After a cultural and informative trip the athlete gave interview to mass media where noted special importance of this trip. "I am grateful to all, it very much inspires me. I arrived to the native village for the first time after moving to Russia. Here at me there are a lot of native", - Arsen Galstyan who Nerkin Karmirakhpyur in the years of heroic liberating war in Nagorno-Karabakh lived in the border village told. "I play for Russia, I — the Russian, long ago here live. But thus I remain the Armenian, people from the homeland perceive me as Armenian. I grew up in the Armenian village. I for them the. Here and my victory Armenians take for the" - the athlete noted.

Regular meetings and actions organized by Artush Kasemyan ("uncle Artush" as it is called by Arsen) within the Our Vera — Our Victory program takes a special place for the athlete. The program for tradition begins with visit of the Armenian church in Moscow where athletes together with Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization Lider collective light candles, pray and receive blessing of the priest. Within this program Arsen met many known public figures, including the legendary Soviet military leader, the veteran of war in Afghanistan, the lieutenant general Norat Ter-Grigoryantsem. The special place in the program is taken by visit of the Troyekurovsky cemetery where eminent athletes assign flowers to a grave of the legendary scout, the Hero of the Soviet Union Gevork Andreevich Vartanyan. Galstyan notes special importance of such program, as for strengthening of fighting spirit, patriotism and pride of the country, and for charging positive energy before the forthcoming competitions.

In total Arsen has 20 gold, three silver and 10 bronze medals. But on it the athlete isn't going to stop and persistent trainings surely walks to the Olympic Games of 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Despite achievements and a set of titles, Arsen as note his people around, isn't ill so-called "star fever", always remains same, as before – the simple and modest guy who lives now and persistently trains in the nice city of Krasnodar.

Warmly we congratulate Arsen Galstyan on anniversary, we wish a good health, good luck, wellbeing, great personal happiness, further progress and new victories!

Arenas Simonyan