In 2018, I was walking in Yerevan when I noticed an open gym window, and out of curiosity, I looked in. It was my first taste of Armenian sporting life, and I was utterly captivated. After some research, I found the famous Albert Azaryan Gym, where I photographed and met my first protagonists. Such as Gagik hanging on the ring, a multiple youth champion whose training I photographed all the way through, or the wrestler boy fighting for his last breath on the tatami; they have all probably grown up since then. I met dozens of similar young men with a single vision: to win for their people. I decided to travel across the country and visit as many training sessions and youth competitions as I could, capturing this generation's commitment and trying to understand what drives them. My Armenian origin also fueled my interest; I wanted to discover this fragile and unique identity to appreciate and be conscious of my own.