Georgian Team Starts Season with 4 Golds

On January 27-28, Tbilisi Sports Palace hosted the Tbilisi World Cup which signified the opening of the 2007 international judo season. This traditional tournament has been held in Georgia since 1970 and in older times enjoyed so much popularity that in the backstage many called it an unofficial world championship in judo. But political events of the 1990s put its seal on this tournament as well. The first effect was that foreigners’ interest reduced. In 1993-97 years it was cancelled altogether. However, recently Georgian team achieved several important and serious victories and this reflected on the prestige of the tournament. The event is now regaining its popularity. Last week-end teams of 18 countries in the Sports Palace and next year results in Tbilisi will determine license points of sportsmen for Beijing Olympics. 28 Georgians wrestled in front of crowded tribunes, 13 out of them won medals. Overall, the Georgian team gained four gold, three silver and six bronze medals and put back the team of judo-founder Japan in the team count, to say nothing of Russia appearing on the tournament with 14 judokas. It managed to win only one silver and one bronze medal.

On the first day of the two-day tournament in the three starting weights: 60, 66 and 73 kg medal complexes were played and unexpected to all only one Georgian stepped up to the highest point of the pedestal. The best sportsman of 2006, European champion Zaza Kedelashvili exchanged last year’s silver for gold. And, what is more important, he wrestled so well that he didn’t leave even a minor chance for any of his rivals. Zaza won four fights before the championship, and all four with better and better ipons. Particularly good was putting down Japanese Tomoo Torii. A strong Japanese wrestler used the same tricks to beat other participants himself and his surprised face on the fourth minute of fight with Zaza was worth seeing indeed. And a foreign couch murmured within out hearing distance that only Georgians could do such things to the Japanese.
The same scenario fitted fights of 100 kg judokas. The most impressive here was again Georgian-Japanese confrontation, but with a slight difference. This meeting took place in the finals. Last year’s champion of Tbilisi tournament Takamasa Anai and not a well known 22-year-old Georgian Levan Zhorzholiani went to the fight for gold with pure victories. Anai was a favorite in that game, of course. He was leading during the fight and responded to Georgian attacks with no less dangerous counterattacks. But 1.5 minutes before the final gong Zhorzholiani put him down with such strength that the hall almost broke down. Even Belgian Olympic champion Robert Van De Walle could not help standing up and applauding to the amazing throw-down of the Georgian judoka. Later on Zhorzholiani was named the most prosperous young judoka of the tournament and Kedelashvili became the most technically strong judoka.
In the finals of 81 and 100+ kg spectators did not have to worry that much. It was all Georgians fighting with each other for gold medals. In the first fight Grigol Mamrikishvili defeated Giorgi Baindurashvili and preserved his last year’s championship. And in the second one Zviad Khanjaliashvili beat Levan Razmadze. Hereby should be noted that both first-place winners approached the pedestal with pure victories.
In the end, we have to mention several disappointments. In the 90 kg finals only 17 seconds distanced Irakli Tsirekidze from the gold. He was winning to the Japanese Yuta Yazaki till that time, but he seemed to relax for a second and lost. Even bigger disappointment for Georgian supporters in the same weight was Zurab Zviadauri’s loss. The same Yazaki beat him. Olympic champion had a chance for bronze medal, but he didn’t appear to wrestle after that.
Silver medalist of Athens Olympics Nestor Khergiani (60 kg) and world bronze winner Lasha Gujejiani (100+ kg) were left without medals. In the 73 kg weight category in the absence of the team’s injured leader Davit Kevkhishvili no Georgian managed to step on the pedestal of winners.

www.georgiatoday.ge

2.02.2007