Shavarsh Karapetyan: The Hero Who Dove Into Darkness — Twice

In 1976, Armenian Olympic swimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan had just finished a grueling 12-mile run with his brother when he witnessed the unimaginable: a trolleybus, packed with passengers, veered off the road and plunged into a reservoir.

Without hesitation, Shavarsh dove in.

The bus had sunk 80 feet from shore, resting 33 feet below the surface. Visibility was zero. The water was freezing. Still, he swam to the wreck, kicked in the rear window (slicing himself on the glass), and one by one, began pulling survivors out of the submerged wreckage.

He did this not once. Not twice. But twenty times.

Each dive was a race against time and breath. Each rescue cost him more energy, more oxygen, more blood. By the time emergency crews arrived, Shavarsh had collapsed on the shore. He was hospitalized for 45 days, suffering from pneumonia, sepsis, and lung damage that ultimately ended his swimming career.

And yet, almost no one knew. The story was kept quiet for years, until a 1982 article finally identified him as the man behind the miracle.

But he wasn’t done.

In 1985, Shavarsh passed by a burning building — and, once again, ran toward danger. He rushed inside, pulling out people trapped by the flames, one after another, until he collapsed from smoke inhalation and burns.

No press. No cameras. Just instinct, sacrifice, and courage.

Today, he’s 66 — and still going strong.

Shavarsh Karapetyan didn’t just train to be strong. He used his strength for others — twice. And at the cost of everything he’d worked for.

A world-class athlete. A two-time life-risking rescuer.

A hero in every sense of the word.

Sometimes, the greatest champions are the ones who swim toward danger… when no one else can.