Azaryan was the first gymnast to become an Olympic Champion in rings twice, a feat that Akinori Nakayama would also accomplish twelve years later and that no one else has matched since.

Afterwards, some teenage boys (including Azaryan) went on the apparatus and tried to perform the skills they had just seen.

After three years, he became the Armenian champion on rings and earned a Master of Sport ranking.

Alongside Azaryan on the team was friend and fellow Armenian Hrant Shahinyan.

Azaryan joined the rest of the Soviet team at the 1955 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships one year later.

He also had a three-way tie with Shakhlin and Helmut Bantz on the parallel bars, resulting in three gold medalists.

Azaryan and the Soviet team defended their World Championship on the team all-around and Azaryan himself defended his own World Championship on the rings, winning gold medals for both.

Azaryan was originally intended to also bear the Armenian flag at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but the decision was reversed due to his age.

Eduard was a 1980 Olympian, where he competed in every event and won a gold medal in the men's artistic team all-around.

[5] In honor of Azaryan, a stamp was printed of him, among other Armenian Olympic Champions, in Armenia in 2009.