Georgian Judoka Becomes World Champion
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, September 28
Georgian judoka Guram Tushishvili, 23, won a gold medal at the 2018 World Judo Championships in men's +100 kg competition on September 26.
During the World Championship 2018, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tushishvili defeated Ushangi Kokauri, a Georgian national competing for Azerbaijan and became a World Champion. Before that, Georgian judoka defeated his Romanian rival Daniel Natea and Ukrainian Iakiv Khamo. In the quarter-final, Tushishvili competed against Roy Mayer from the Netherlands and obtained victory.
In 2017 Tushishvili won the European championship. He also won the Grand Prix in Tbilisi and Zagreb in 2018. He took gold at the Grand Slam in Baku in 2017. Moreover, he is the World Cadet Champion of 2011.
Other members of Georgia’s National Judo team also won medals at Baku World Championships - Varlam Liparteliani (100), captain of the Georgian team, won Silver Medal on September 25 and Amiran Papinashvili (60) won the Bronze Medal.
Tushishvili is the third Champion Georgia has had since it restored independence in 1991. The other two champions from Georgia are Irakli Tsirekidze and Avtandil Tchrikishvili.
On September 15, 2007, Tsirekidze won a gold medal at world judo championship beating Greek Ilias Iliadis by yuko. Also, at 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal with beating Algerian Amar Benikhlef in the final. He became head coach of the Georgian National Judo Team after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
As for Chrikishvili, he won a gold medal at 2014 World Judo Championships held in Chelyabinsk, Russia in middleweight category and became the champion of the world.
