Artur Chetrevik is a very talented armwrestler, planning to take the Belarussian champion title in one of the toughest categories – up to 75 kg. He already has the title of Master of Sports, and now he wants the “world class” pre-fix for it. Let’s look at Artur’s achievements.

The first time I started in an armwrestling competition was in 2007, in National Technical University of Belarus championships; I was a student there – recalls Artur. I was out after my second fight. That’s when I started training. Armwrestling drew me with the fact that you train with a certain weight one week – and the next week you get the results already. The more weight you add, the better your chance to win. In armwrestling, the outcome is never obvious. You can be stronger, faster and have more stamina than your opponent, but that doesn’t mean you’ll win.

Artur’s development was very fast, with new achievements coming in at a great rate.

The best year for me was 2009 – recalls Artur. – That’s the first year I started in the Ukrainian Cup. It was great to fight the top Belarussian armwrestlers, people with titles and achievements.

In 2009 Artur didn’t place too high, but the next year in a similar competition he took home two medals – gold and silver. Back then Belarus had the separate arm prize system, now the prize goes for both arms.

I think we should give prizes for both hands – says Artur. An armwrestler can come to a competition and win in one hand, but his score is lowered by summing up both arms. A guy who took two 4^th places can place first after summing up. If you’re first, that means you’re the strongest, so how come you have two 4^th places? I think the logic is clear.

There are many who oppose this system. Especially those who place 3^rd in each arm, and then wind up 4^th after summation; also those who have one arm much weaker than the other. Artur found the perfect way out of this – he started winning in both arms, and soon he’s joined the top of Belarus in his category.

Like many others, I’ve watched videos of Rustam Babayev, Voevoda, Tsoriev and Filippov training – recalls Artur. – Those movies gave me ideas and exercises to perform. Of course I also had a coach, more than one: my teachers from the Technical University – Olga Petrovskaya and Yuri Pronovich, and my friend – Vadim Lipnitsky. Sometimes I go to other gyms to spar with other guys and consult with other coaches.

In the world of armwrestling there are many people who set a great example to follow.

At first, many worshipped Voevoda – says Artur. – But in time, other names surfaced - Tsvetan Gashevski, Khadzhimurat Zoloev (who fought in 70 kg back then). Recently Andrey Pushkar came to the fore. Zoloyev and Pushkar show constant great skills in all sorts of tournaments, which only solidifies their position in the world of armwrestling.

With every tournament, with every training we gain new experiences. With experience comes understanding of our needs. Artur’s training regime has evolved with years.

Usually I train 3 times a week, for 1,5 – 2 hours – says Artur. – I devote a lot of time to my wrists, though recently I’ve focused more on my shoulders. That means they hurt less after a fight. A week before a competition I add one more training. I fight seldom and mainly in the off-season. I also work out with the guys from the other gym. On weekends I rest and regenerate. I try to eat well, but I don’t diet till some month and a half before a competition.

Despite a well-developed structure armwrestling cannot be called a very popular sport nowadays.

Usually armwrestlig is popular among those who tried it – says Artur. – I think we should organize more school tournaments, events organized by cities and the state. A few years should be enough for a new generation to grow up that will take more interest in our sport.

Armwrestling is a sport with high injury risk. Artur also had his share of injuries.

To be honest, I don’t know what my injury was, exactly – says Artur. – I just couldn’t lean on my right arm. I wanted to get and MRI, but the X-RAY before that showed nothing wrong. My arm ached for 10 months. I tried various ointments, took collagen and chondroprotectors, but to no avail. The thing that worked for me was a 1,5 month long bootcamp, where my arm got better.

Supplements are an important part of Artur’s diet. He;s tried them all over the years.

I’ve tried many supplements, but most of them are worthless – says Artur. – Nowadays I take BCAA, vitamins and minerals, gelatin has good effects too. I take chondroprotectors twice a year, and creatine, obviously. I’ve quit taking monohydrate three years ago, now I take crealcaline. I like pre-workout supplements, but for their price one can buy a couple of cans of creatine, glutamine and amino acids. Supplements are a must in our sport, they should be taken prophylactically.

It’s one thing to take supplements, and quite another to use controlled substances.

I’m against “chemistry” in armwrestling – says Artur. This year Russia introduced drug control at their Championships; I think next year many people will think twice before taking anything and the results will be much less drastic. The issue needs to be controlled, even at local levels.

Artur has already started on the international arena – he fought in the prestigious Nemiroff World Cup. He had no great achievements there, but he realized that hard work leads to victory. He worked out with all his might, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding. After the 2013 Belarussian Championships, there was a discussion all over the Internet. Many people couldn’t get to the event, because of weather conditions. This caused a great distaste. Artur couldn’t hide his anger and let it vent at an informal Internet forum. For some of his statements, he and a couple others were disqualified by the BAF for the period of two years. There were a lot of doubts if privately made statements could lead to official steps, but the two years haven’t passed yet, and Artur is back in action again.

The conflict is over – says Artur. – I’ve apologized to the BAF for my statements and was allowed to start again. My next tournament will probably be the World Championships. I’d like to enter the below 70 kg category, but I’ll probably end up in the 75. I cannot say if I have a chance to win. I’m training hard and I’m going to give my best.

Artur Chetrevik is a very talented figter, he’ll take on anyone. Belarus is his already, now for the world! And not a step back!

Artur Grigoryan