I've started training armwrestling in the winter of 2012 – says Artem. - Until that time I just worked out at a gym, did some sparrings at a table. I almost always won, beating biggger and older guys – I was 17 back then and weighed 60 kg. Fighting was just fun for me, nothing else. With time i've noticed that this “fun” is a sport, and not as simple as I thought.

As a result, Artem started training for real. In a small basement. And he wasn't the first, Alexey Voevoda and Dzambolat Tsoriev did that before him, to a gret effect.

My coach was Mir Albegov – says Artem. - My older mates helped me too. I got a lot of knowledge from them, and some from Internet. I also learned a lot from workshops with Alexey Voevoda.

Artem's life has changed radically after he moved to the USA. - I like that it's so easy to train (cheap gym fees), cheaper supplements, tournaments almost every month – says Artem. He started training in the USA in September 2013. Since that time he took part in various tournaments; even Arnold Classic. - I like the atmosphere at American events – says Artem.

- The American training process is much different from the Russian. The first thing that is different is the “practice”. In USA there's no such thing as sports clubs. People just visit one another for sparrings, called “practices”. Sportsmen communicate, share knowledge. Not many people have regular occasions to train together, because they often live a long way from one another. In Russia, everything is organized, groups meet to train with coaches. The European armwrestling is leaving the bars and pubs for gyms and clubs. In USA the tendency is reverse, armwrestling is a pub scene. The only exception from that are prestigious events.

In the USA medals and cups are always made from precious metals, for special orders – says Artem. - In Russia you often get plastic cups and medals with stickers. But as for the level of competitions – in the USA they're not serious about that. Just the fact that they fight in bars says everything.

The USA is planning to introduce a system of between-states competitions, like in the Game of Arms, but on higher levels. Sounds interesting, but we'll see how it plays out.

Artur Grigorian