Nazik Avdalyan: the real hero and victory
There are no doubts that the Armenian nation is full of real heroes, legends, talents and geniuses. We can name personalities from any field – culture, science, military, etc. – who we always take pride in. Today as well there are real heroes living side by side with us. Although the perceptions of the real hero are in some way distorted among some circles, it is never possible to overshadow the real hero or force him/her into oblivion.
One of the real heroes is world and European weightlifting champion Nazik Avdalyan. The girl from Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri has shown during her career how to be a true athlete and woman.
The Armenian weightlifter gained strength and returned to sports after a car accident and surgery. Not only did she return, but also she became a champion.
Journalist, filmmaker Suren Areents is going to shoot a film about Nazik Avdalyan. Preparatory work has already started and the screenplay is being written. Although he has not met Nazik in person yet, he hopes that the meeting will take place soon.
“There has long been an idea to reveal the stories of our Armenian queens. According to reports, a long time ago we had Armenian queens who governed the region. The key purpose is to show that our women have played a role equal to the men, even in terms of leadership. In our country, women also have their own important role to play – to be a mother, give birth to a child and continue the family legacy,” Suren Areens said in an interview to Panorama.am.
The filmmaker stressed that with Nazik's example they want to show that a woman can be as strong in the family as in the career she pursues.
“Often men don’t find enough strength to return to sports after injury and to bring victory to their nation. But Nazik did it because women have the ability to survive pain,” the director stressed.
Suren Areents noted that he has decided to choose Nazik's character at the request of social media users. He will apply to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to collect funds for the documentary. At the same time, he said that Areents Production is going to shoot the film despite everything.
“We must never downplay women’s role or create an impression that we don’t respect women or would rather see them only in the kitchen,” the director said.
He promised that the film series will be continuous.
"Even when my spine was broken and I was in hospital, I always hoped I would return to sports. If I had been disappointed and had not been convinced, I would not have made any attempt to make a sports comeback,” Nazik Avdalyan said during a program.
Initially, doctors claimed athletes having suffered such injuries are not likely to return to sports, let alone to weightlifting. Although doctors banned her from training, Nazik continued to ‘secretly’ train, becoming a European champion in 2016. The athlete dedicated her victory to the “soldiers fighting in Artsakh”.