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Ken Topalian

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Ken Topalian
Personal information
Born (1963-07-05) 5 July 1963 (age 61)
Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States
Sport
CountryArmenia
SportBobsleigh

Ken Topalian (born 5 July 1963) is an American bobsledder.[1] He competed in the two man event at the 1994 Winter Olympics, representing Armenia.[2] Along with Joe Almasian,[3] they were the first athletes to represent Armenia at the Olympics.[4]

Biography

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Topalian was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1963.[1] He worked in an auto repair shop in his hometown and attended the University of Rhode Island.[1]

Three years after Armenia had gained independence in 1991, Topalian and Joe Almasian formed a team with the aim to compete in the bobsled event at the 1994 Winter Olympics representing Armenia.[1] This included getting a second-hand bobsled from American Samoa.[3] They both attended the training centre in Lake Placid to learn how to bobsled,[1][5] being trained by Jim Hickey who had previously represented the United States at the Olympics in the event.[1] They could train for three hours each day at the weekend, using a sled from the 1960s.[3] To qualify for the Olympics, both of them gained Armenian citizenship and competed in five international races.[3]

With less than three weeks before the start of the 1994 Winter Olympics, Topalian and Almasian were given permission by the Armenian government to compete at the games.[1] They were the only athletes to represent Armenia at the 1994 Winter Olympics.[3] They finished in 36th place in the two-man event, ahead of seven other teams.[6] Neither of them competed in the event since the Olympics, and they had never been to Armenia.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ken Topalian". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Joe Almasian Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Westford man's Olympic experience was one remarkable journey". Lowell Sun. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Olympic Flame Still Burns with Almasian". Armenia Weekly. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Two U.S. Bobsledders Make Armenia Proud". Tulsa World. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Hitching a ride on dreams and a prayer: Armenia's bobsled team". ACCC.org. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
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