Located in the capital city of Yerevan, Armenia, Yerevan Lake is a sprawling man-made reservoir that draws people to its shores for leisure and exercise.
But on September 16, 1976, it became the scene of a horrific accident that turned one ordinary man into a hero.
Shavarsh Karapetyan was just 23 years old when he was jogging along the shores of Yerevan Lake when he witnessed a trolleybus plunge into the reservoir.
Karapetyan, a decorated finswimmer, didn’t even have to think about it. He dove into the sewage-infested waters and managed to save the lives of 20 people.
Early Life And Upbringing
Shavarsh Karapetyan was, in many ways, just an ordinary Armenian. He was born in 1953 in Kirovakan, the third-largest city in Armenia, and raised in the bustling capital of Yerevan.
If not for the influence of his father, he might have followed a more conventional path and got a job in a state-run factory, dedicating his life to the Soviet war machine.
After relocating to Yerevan in 1966, Shavarsh’s father, Vladimir, enrolled him in a prestigious gymnastics academy led by Olympic gold medalist Albert Azaryan.
The coaches were impressed with Shavarsh’s powerful physique and lightning-fast reflexes.
However, they felt that his late start in the sport would hinder his chances of reaching the pinnacle of gymnastics. One of the coaches suggested that Shavarsh try swimming.
This suggestion proved to be a turning point. Shavarsh quickly demonstrated a natural talent for the backstroke and freestyle events.
Within a few years, he had shot through the ranks to become one of Armenia’s most promising junior swimmers.
At the age of 17, Shavarsh’s dreams were shattered when he was cut from the Armenian national team. It turns out that he lacked the flexibility for an effective swimmer. This rejection was devastating to Shavarsh.
Finswimming
The very day Shavarsh Karapetyan was dropped from the swim team, he met Liparit Almasakyan, a lifeguard who had helped found Armenia’s underwater sports program.
As Karapetyan was dealing with the abrupt end of his athletic career, the two met at a local bar to drown their sorrows in vodka.
During their conversation, Lipo extended an invitation to Karapetyan to join his finswimming team that he was putting together. Karapetyan jumped at the opportunity and began training the very next day.
Finswimming is an underwater sport that combines elements of swimming and diving. It involves propelling oneself through the water using specialized fins, often one large fin that encases both feet, similar to a mermaid’s tail.
The training regimen Lipo designed involved running with a sand-filled backpack or jogging in cross-country skis.
Karapetyan’s training also included carrying a fellow swimmer on his shoulders while running uphill along the lakeshore or even climbing the same hills wheelbarrow-style, with a teammate supporting his legs.
Shavarsh Karapetyan was a natural at finswimming. By the time he was 23, he was already an 11-time world record holder, a 17-time world champion, and a 13-time European champion.
The 1974 Bus Incident
Believe it or not, the trolleybus incident was not the first time that Shavarsh had been a hero and saved people’s lives.
In 1974, he was traveling on a bus winding its way along a steep mountain road when the driver got out of the bus to check on an engine issue.
But he forgot to engage the parking brake, and the bus, carrying dozens of passengers, began to careen towards a steep gorge.
The passengers erupted in panic as they realized the end was near. With lightning-fast reflexes, Shavarsh leaped from his seat and rushed towards the driver’s cabin.
He broke down the barrier that separated the driver from the passengers and managed to steer the bus away from the edge of the cliff just in time.
His actions that day saved the lives of everyone on board. His bravery and quick thinking earned him admiration from the community, and for a little while, he was a local hero.
Trolleybus Incident
It was two years later when Shavarsh found himself in another life or death situation. On September 16, 1976, he was out for his daily 12-mile run with his brother, Kamo, around the shores of Yerevan Lake.
Due to inadequate infrastructure and waste management systems in parts of the city, untreated and partially treated sewage regularly flows into the lake through its tributaries. Despite this, it hasn’t stopped the lake from being a popular recreation area.
It was right when Shavarsh and Kamo were finishing up their morning run when they heard a loud crash. A crowded trolleybus, filled with 92 passengers, veered off the road and plunged into the icy depths of the reservoir.
The impact was deafening. The bus began to sink almost immediately, taking the passengers down with it.
Without hesitation, Shavarsh and Kamo dove into the cold, feces-infested water. The water was murky, the visibility near zero, and the trolleybus lay 80 feet from the shore and 30 feet down.
Shavarsh swam to the sunken trolleybus and kicked out the back window. He then began pulling passengers out, one by one. Each rescue took approximately 30 seconds, and with each dive, the cold and the physical exertion took their toll.
Each time Shavarsh surfaced with a victim they were quickly picked up by volunteers in kayaks and taken to shore for medical attention.
He made an astonishing 20 dives, rescuing 46 out of the 92 passengers onboard. Unfortunately, only 20 of the 46 survived.
His selfless act came at a heavy price, though. The combined effects of the freezing water, the multiple lacerations from shattered glass, and the exhaustion from his repeated dives left Karapetyan unconscious.
He was hospitalized for 45 days while he battled pneumonia and sepsis from the bacteria in the lake. The damage to his lungs was so severe that it ultimately ended his swimming career for good.
Other Heroic Acts And Accomplishments
Shavarsh Karapetyan always seemed to be in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time. In 1985, a fire broke out in the Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.
The flames rapidly consumed everything in their path. Panic ensued as people scrambled to escape the burning building, but many found themselves trapped within the complex.
Firefighters battled valiantly to contain the blaze, but the intense heat and dense smoke hampered their efforts. The trapped individuals faced a grim reality.
It is not clear why Shavarsh was in the area at the time, but he was, and he didn’t hesitate for a moment. Ignoring the pleas of onlookers and firefighters, he ran into the inferno.
With each breath, he inhaled the burning smoke. Yet, he pressed on. He moved through the smoke-filled corridors, his strong arms guiding the disoriented and terrified to safety.
For those too weak or injured to walk, he carried them on his shoulders. Again and again, he ventured back into the burning arena.
When he finally collapsed from exhaustion, he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Burns covered a significant portion of his body, and he suffered from acute smoke inhalation. He spent weeks in intensive care, fighting for his life. The road to recovery was long and bumpy, but he pulled through.
Legacy And Recognition
Shavarsh Karapetyan spent the rest of his life living quietly. Eventually, he moved to Moscow and opened up a shoe company called “Second Breath”.
But his countrymen never forgot him and in 2014 tapped Shavarsh to carry the Olympic torch into the Kremlin ahead of the Winter Games in Sochi. He proudly said that he was carrying the torch for both Russia and Armenia.
In his home country of Armenia, Shavarsh has become a national hero. His name has become synonymous with bravery and selflessness.
Over the decades and with the rise of social media, his heroism has escaped the borders of Armenia and has inspired countless others around the world.
He has been honored with a number of awards, including the Order of the Badge of Honor, the UNESCO Fair Play award, and the Medal “For the Salvation of the Drowning.” In 2013, a minor planet was named 3027 Shavarsh in recognition of his contributions to humanity.
Sources
https://allthatsinteresting.com/shavarsh-karapetyan
