backseatjuan
Banned
September 16th 1976, in city of Erevan trolley traveling over a dumb went under water. Ninety two passengers were trapped alive on 33 foot depth. All of them were doomed, if not one lucky circumstance: just at that moment along the lake was running world champion for underwater swimming, Shavarsh Karapetyan.
Later experts will acknowledge: nobody in the world couldn’t physically do what then did Shavarsh. Shavarsh dived and in zero visibility condition managed to break the back glass with his legs, and began to rescue unconscious people one by one. More than 20 minutes in ice cold water. Twenty rescued lives. In reality he brought to shore from that trolley more people, but not all were alive. When Shavarsh come back from the depth, bystanders could see how all of his body was cut from the broken glass.
Later, on question – what was the scariest back then? - Shavarsh answered: “I knew for sure, that despite on all my training, I could last only on certain number of dives. On the bottom visibility was zero, I grabbed on touch people and swam with them to surface. One time I surfaced and saw that in my hands was a leather pillow from a seat. I looked at it and understood, that the price of my mistake – was someone’s life. That pillow later come to me in my dream at night.”
Day after Shavarsh Karapetyan was taken to a hospital. He though that everything alright, but strength of a man have limits. Shavarsh got pneumonia, with got worth with sepsis. His temperature for a long time didn’t go bellow 104 degrees. Only on 46th day sportsman regained consciousness, although doctors readied his relatives for the worst. Lung inflammation caused spikes, and every breath was a burden. Doctors said he could forget about sport, but Shavarsh didn’t even think about that.
In 1977 Shavarsh again become champion of Europe, champion of USSR and achieved a new world record on the distance of 400 meters (this was his 3rd world record in this distance). But because of his illness, soon he left the big sports.
Karapetyan has 3 children – two daughters and a son. Since 1993 Shavarsh Karapetyan with his family lives and works in Moscow.
We could say, that he ruined his talent. But gift of love to people he multiplied in those scary 20 minutes many times.
Later experts will acknowledge: nobody in the world couldn’t physically do what then did Shavarsh. Shavarsh dived and in zero visibility condition managed to break the back glass with his legs, and began to rescue unconscious people one by one. More than 20 minutes in ice cold water. Twenty rescued lives. In reality he brought to shore from that trolley more people, but not all were alive. When Shavarsh come back from the depth, bystanders could see how all of his body was cut from the broken glass.
Later, on question – what was the scariest back then? - Shavarsh answered: “I knew for sure, that despite on all my training, I could last only on certain number of dives. On the bottom visibility was zero, I grabbed on touch people and swam with them to surface. One time I surfaced and saw that in my hands was a leather pillow from a seat. I looked at it and understood, that the price of my mistake – was someone’s life. That pillow later come to me in my dream at night.”
Day after Shavarsh Karapetyan was taken to a hospital. He though that everything alright, but strength of a man have limits. Shavarsh got pneumonia, with got worth with sepsis. His temperature for a long time didn’t go bellow 104 degrees. Only on 46th day sportsman regained consciousness, although doctors readied his relatives for the worst. Lung inflammation caused spikes, and every breath was a burden. Doctors said he could forget about sport, but Shavarsh didn’t even think about that.
In 1977 Shavarsh again become champion of Europe, champion of USSR and achieved a new world record on the distance of 400 meters (this was his 3rd world record in this distance). But because of his illness, soon he left the big sports.
Karapetyan has 3 children – two daughters and a son. Since 1993 Shavarsh Karapetyan with his family lives and works in Moscow.
We could say, that he ruined his talent. But gift of love to people he multiplied in those scary 20 minutes many times.