Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he won a gold medal at the 1992 European Wrestling Championships and competed for the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Ter-Mkrtchyan advanced to the finals, where he faced reigning Olympic Champion Jon Rønningen.

Seeking a better wrestling environment, he got in touch with his former Soviet national teammate Arawat Sabejew, who had been living in Germany.

In Germany, he wrestled for the first for VfK Schifferstadt, but changed clubs to KSV Köllerbach.

He made it to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by eventual gold medalist Sim Kwon-Ho of South Korea.