At just 17 years old, Slava Shahbazyan has become California’s number one high school wrestler in the 165-pound division. He is also ranked No. 3 nationally in his weight class. Shahbazyan is a senior at Birmingham Community Charter High School in Los Angeles. According to FloWrestling, the youngster has amassed a 92-9 high school wrestling record as of Jan. 18, 2026.
So, how did the teen come to dominate one of the most competitive sports in the country?
Shahbazyan’s story begins in Yerevan. He and his family moved to Los Angeles in 2013 when Slava was four years old. It wasn’t until he was 8 that his father introduced him to wrestling.
“My dad did a little bit of judo, but he always saw wrestlers as the strongest and most humble athletes,” Shahbazyan said. “He told me, I want you to become one.” Shahbazyan took the family motivation and ran with it. Now, he has major goals ahead of him.
In August 2025, Shahbazyan announced his commitment to Stanford University. He told the Weekly that he is proud of his commitment, coming down to Stanford, Harvard and Cornell as his final three. However, that meant business as usual for Shahbazyan: “For me, this was something I had to grab on the way,” he said.
“It didn’t change my training or the way I live or how I see everyone. I’m the same Slava.”
It’s never just been brute and brawn with Shahbazyan. He’s arguably more powerful in the classroom, making sure he prioritizes his academics, “Since I was a kid, I’ve been on top of my work, and that obviously helped, because at Stanford, you can’t just only be a good wrestler. You’ve got to also prioritize academics; I did that, and it paid off.” Shahbazyan says his favorite subject is math, but he plans to major in biology.
His collegiate goal is simple and straightforward: become an NCAA champion. But he knows good things come to those who wait: “Next year, I want to redshirt because I am very young. In college, I’m probably going to be one of the youngest athletes in Division 1. So, I want to take that first year to develop and mature more, train hard and get that cardio to be ready to go after the first redshirt year.”
Right now, Shahbazyan’s focus remains on finishing his high school career strong. His immediate goal is to become a national champion — something no Armenian wrestler has yet accomplished at the high school level, despite several Armenian All-Americans, like Grigor Cholakyan and Nicholas Sahakian. That’s the bar Slava is aiming for.
But it’s time to get candid: during this interview, Shahbazyan admitted he was in the middle of a wrestling tournament, having just advanced to the finals of the Temecula Valley Battle for the Belt tournament. Less than 90 minutes later, he dominated his opponent in the 175-pound final, en route to yet another tournament win. So much so, Shahbazyan won by major decision, with a 17-4 score.
Slava Shahbazyan has already proven himself on the national stage. He recently reached the finals of the Doc Buchanan Wrestling Tournament in Clovis, California – widely considered one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments in the country — falling only to the nation’s top-ranked wrestler in his division. The performance, he says, has only fueled his motivation heading into the remainder of his senior season.
When he isn’t wrestling, Shahbazyan loves spending time in nature on hikes or spending time with his family. He credits them as his foundation: “My sister has always been by my side. When I go to tournaments, she’s the first one to call and check up on me.”
My brother too; he’s little but he grabs my mom’s phone and starts calling me,” Shahbazyan added. “I love it. That’s where I find myself at peace.”
Every time Shahbazyan steps onto the mat, he knows he’s wrestling for something bigger than himself. “I carry this flag every time,” he explained.
“I’m fighting for our culture. We’re not big, but the impact we can have as a small community is insane. I truly think we are special. There’s not many of us, but once we have a good one, we stand out.”
Remember the name: Slava Shahbazyan.
All photos are courtesy of Slava Shahbazyan’s Instagram account, @slavashahbazyan_.