Weightlifter Yuri Vardanyan

The photograph shows Yuri Vardanyan, one of the greatest legends of Armenian and Soviet weightlifting. He was born in 1956 in Leninakan (Gyumri) and became a phenomenon of world sport at a very young age.

Vardanyan was an Olympic champion, a 5-time European and 7-time world champion, and set 43 world records. He was the first weightlifter to exceed the 400-kilogram mark in the two-lift total at the Olympic Games.

He is seated against a curtain, wearing a dark jacket with a red sash over his shoulder and numerous medals on his chest.