Leading Armenian national team weightlifter, World and European Champion in the 89 kg class.
In 2014 in Nanjing, Mkrtchyan won gold at the Summer Youth Olympics in the 77 kg category, becoming the first Armenian weightlifter to win Youth Olympic gold.
In 2019 Mkrtchyan won both World and European Championship golds in the 89 kg class — World gold in Pattaya with a 375 kg total (167+208) and European gold in Batumi with a 371 kg total. He repeated as European Champion in 2024.