100th Anniversary of Hrant Shahinyan's Birth - 1,000 dram 2023

Modern Silver Commemorative - 259

Obverse: the stylized images of Hrant Shahinyan performing exercises on gymnastic rings and a pommel horse.
Reverse: Hrant Shahinyan's bust (sculptor: G. Shahverdyan, architect: S. Sardaryan, 2014).

Denomination: 1,000 dram
Metal: Silver .925
Weight: 33.60g
Diameter: 40mm
Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 200 pcs.
Strike quality: Proof
Designes: Eduard Kurghinyan (obverse), Lusine Lalayan (reverse)
Mint: Poland

Hrant Shahinyan (1923-1996) was a celebrated Armenian gymnast and the first Armenian champion in the modern Olympic Games. His illustrious career includes double gold and double silver medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, double gold medals at the 1954 World Championships in Rome, and being a seven-time and absolute champion of the USSR. Shahinyan was honored as a Master of Sports of the USSR (1951), an Honored Coach of the Armenian SSR (1961), and an Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of the Armenian SSR (1966).

Born in the village of Gyulagarak in the Lori Province of Armenia, Shahinyan's family moved to Yerevan in 1930, where he began his gymnastics training. By 1939, he had already secured the title of absolute champion of the USSR youth.

During the Great Patriotic War, Shahinyan volunteered for the front lines from the very first days, sustaining a leg injury. It wasn't until 1946 that he was able to resume his gymnastics career.

Shahinyan's first major success came in 1949 at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Budapest, where he won six gold medals.

Recognizing his pioneering contributions to gymnastics, the International Gymnastics Federation named one of the pommel horse exercises he performed first as the "Shahinyan's spin."

For his extraordinary sports achievements and dedicated service to his country, Shahinyan received numerous accolades, including the International Olympic Committee's "Fair Play" award in 1994. In honor of his legacy, the National Olympic Committee of Armenia established the "Hrant Shahinyan" medal in 2005.

Shahinyan's name is immortalized through various dedications, including streets in Armenian cities, the Olympic Youth Gymnastics School in Yerevan, and the gymnastics department at the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports.