Hrant Shahinyan was born on July 30, 1923 in the village of Gyulagarak. His family moved to Yerevan in 1930. In 1943 at the age of 20, Shahinyan volunteered to fight in the front line in World War II and received a wounded leg during Service. He had to walk with a stick afterward, but after undergoing treatment in 1946 and through much hard work, was able to become a member of the USSR Artistic Gymnastic National Team.