Houry Gebeshian to represent Armenia at 2011 World Gymnastics Championship

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former University of Iowa women's gymnast Houry Gebeshian has advanced her gymnastics career to a level aspiring gymnasts dream of. She'll take the next step Oct. 7 at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championship in Japan.

Gebeshian began competing at the age of seven. She was a state champion and national competitor as a prep before becoming a three-time All-Big Ten selection, both academically and athletically, for the Hawkeyes. Although her eligibility is has expired, Gebeshian isn't putting an end to her career. The Newton, Mass., native will represent Armenia at the 2011 World Gymnastics Championship.

Gebeshian will not only be representing an entire country, the birthplace of her grandparents, she will be competing for Armenia by herself - a one person team. Armenia possesses a wealth of talented female athletes but lacks the funding needed to recruit, train and showcase such talent. Personal success will remain high on Gebeshian's priority list - it always has been - but she understands her role for the country, gymnastics and women's athletics in general, an article on kcrg.com says.

"My job for Armenia is not only to compete, but to show female athletes in Armenia that it is possible to compete on an elite, international level," said Gebeshian. "The talent is there. I want to encourage them to pursue their goals and hopefully inspire them to advance to that next level, similar to what I'm doing."

Gebeshian's family has connections with a liaison to the Armenian Olympic Committee. After a successful Big Ten season and an invitation to compete as an individual in the all-around competition at the 2011 NCAA Championships, Gebeshian clearly displayed the talent to compete at a higher level. The invitation was extended, with a mutual understanding of the broader objective, and Gebeshian quickly accepted.

"I knew that I wanted to continue to compete so this was an easy decision for me," said Gebeshian. "I was born and raised in the United States, but my family is from Armenia. This will be a great honor."