Artur Akopyan

Artur Akopyan is an Armenian-American gymnastics coach for the USA Gymnastics National Team and a former gymnast on the USSR Olympic Gymnastics Team. He is credited as the first athlete to do a Tsukahara double twist. Akopyan received three scores of 10 at the 1981 World [Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1981 World Championships in Moscow]. His competitive career included the 1983 World vault title, in addition to three other World individual medals.

Coaching career

Akopyan previously coached 2012 Olympic champion McKayla Maroney. His past national team members include Mattie Larson and Samantha Shapiro. He served as a member of the national team coaching staff from 1989 to 2004. He coaches at All [Olympia Gymnastics Center] in Los Angeles, California. Akopyan gained recognition in the United States after Bela Karolyi asked him to help gymnast Kim Zmeskal. Within a couple of days, Akopyan was able to help Zmeskal with elements of her compulsory routine that she had been working on for a year.