Armenian Swimmer and Unknown Hero

Ever heard of Shavarsh Katapetyan? You might have. Shavarsh is a champion swimmer from the 1970s. His sport? As an athlete, he started as a gymnast then transitioned to Fin Swimming. Fin Swimming – I know – there are several sports we’ve perhaps never heard of that are quite popular elsewhere in the world. (Such as the rather ancient, but recently rediscovered sport of curling)  In 1976 Katapetyan, age 23, went for a 12-mile run – with 44 pounds of sand in his backpack. He had his coach and his brother running along with him. As they neared Lake Yerevan, they heard a loud pop – like an explosion, and then they watched as a trolley bus #15 rolled backwards into the lake – and sunk – with 92 people trapped inside.