Georgian sambo team became team champion at World Championship which was held in Tbilisi. Girls won 4 medals and the most important is that, for the first time in the history of sambo, Georgian woman became world champion.
Yesterday, champions and prize winners among U-18 and U-20 girls and boys were found out in 3-3 weight classes. According to the decision of organizers, finals were held straightaway after matches of preliminary stage.
According to the results of the matches held on October 8-9, Georgian teams were ahead of their opponent and it was obvious, that on October 10, Georgians needed one gold medal to win team championship. After Genadi Chirgadze (57 kg) won in the semifinal and Archil Shinjikashvili (100 kg) took the 3rd place, youth team guaranteed championship before starting the final matches.
Chirgadze started participation in the championship from the second circle - 1/4 final. He beat Tajikistani Akmalidin Karimov. Then he beat the main opponent Russian Viacheslav Batrakov 4:2. Chirgadze won gold medal by beating Mongolian Tseden-Ish Raakhanjan 3:1.
Shinjikashvili lost against his first opponent Uzbek Shokhrukh Kuchkarov 1:2. When Kuchkarov won the next match and went through the final, Georgian sportsman wrestled in repechage final where he won over Kazakh Chingiz Shopkutov.
Zebeda Rekhviashvili (74 kg) wrestled from youth team and he beat one of the most important favorites, world's Belarusian champion, Evgeny Aleksevich. All strong sambo players were in wraps of Georgians and it was obvious that one of them would have won gold medal. After beating Belarusian sportsman, Rekhviashvili won over Azerbaijani Samir Karimov 3:0 and went through the semifinal where he wrestled against Russian Giorgi Lebedev. One 2-point move decided the fate of the match. Lebedev carried out this move. This move was debatable but referee gave point to Lebedev. Rekhviashvili only managed to minimize the score and to wrestle in repechage final. We saw different Zebeda Rekhviashvili in repechage final. He lost his combat passion and finally, he took the 5th place.
After several days, Rekhviashvili and Shinjikashvili will participate in World Junior Judo Championship. Also Lasha Giunashvili who wrestled in 56 kg and became champion will participate in the championship. He beat Azerbaijani Parviz Shukurov and French Dan Gov. In the semifinal, he beat Victor Manuel Hernandez. In the decisive match he wrestled against Russian Ruslan Baghdasaryan, beat him and Georgian team became team champion. Team of Badri Janisahvili guaranteed gold medal thanks to Giunashvili. Before that Aleksandre Mildiani (87 kg) won bronze medal and Mikheil Chokheli (70 kg) had to hold a final.
Mildiani lost chance to win gold and silver medals in the semifinal after losing against Armenian Rudolf Voskanyan. Before that, he beat Mongolian Erdenesaikham Chinzorikt. Mildiani won over Belarusian Vitali Zianko in "bronze final". Mikheil Chokheli lost against Russian Kamal Baikulov in the final. Before the final, Georgian sambo player won over Ukrainian Vasil Turiev, uzbek Iahongir Masharipov and Belarusian Pavel Khmurovich.
Yesterday, 3 Georgian girls wrestled but they lost against their first opponents. Two of them won bronze medals. Tsira Abuladze (48 kg) and Shorena Sharadze (64 kg) took the 3rd places because of small number of participants.
Georgian team collected 20 medals. Youth and senior teams showed the same results - 4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals. Girls won 4 medals (1 gold and 3 bronze). The most important event of Tbilisi World Championship was triumph of Nino Odzelashvili (72 kg). Before that, Georgian girl has never won gold medal at World Sambo Championship and judoka Odzelashvili wrote recent Georgian history.
In both age groups Russians are behind Georgian team. Belarusian team took the 3rd place among seniors. Kazakhs are in the 3rd place among juniors. Russians took the 1st place among U-1818 and U-20 girls. Kazakhstan and Belarus took the second-third places.

Sambo, World Championship
Tbilisi, October 10
Men
Juniors
57 kg
1 Genadi Chirgadze (Georgia)
2 Tseden-Ish Raakhanjan (Mongolia)
3 Viacheslav Batrakov (Russia)
3 Kazbek Supingaliev (Kazakhstan)
74 kg
1 Giorgi Lebedev (Russia)
2 Albert Karanyan (Armenia)
3 Nikita Tishenko (Ukraine)
3 Ilia Drovnzhashin (Estonia)
100 kg
1 Danila Streltsov (Russia)
2 Shokhrukh Kuchkarov (Uzbekistan)
3 Archil Shinjikashvili (Georgia)
3 Tigran Antonyan (Armenia)
Seniors
56 kg
1 Lasha Giunashvili (Georgia)
2 Ruslan Baghdasaryan (Russia)
3 Zhansay Smagulov (Kazakhstan)
3 Parviz Shukurov (Azerbaijan)
70 kg
1 Kamal Baikulov (Russia)
2 Mikheil Chokheli (Georgia)
3 Ibaed Devashtich (Tajikistan)
3 Pavel Khmurovich (Belarus)
87 kg
1 Ruslan Kisilov (Russia)
2 Rudolf Voskanyan (Armenia)
3 Aleksandre Mildiani (Georgia)
3 Roman Ladov (Ukraine)
Girls
U-20
52 kg
1 Elena Pener (Kazakhstan)
2 Dildora Ubaidulaeva (Uzbekistan)
3 Katsiarina Nakhaenka (Belarus)
3 Estel Frikin (France)
64 kg
1 Tatiana Kazeiniuk (Russia)
2 Volha Maleika (Belarus)
3 Shorena Sharadze (Georgia)
3 Farida Dosimbekova (Kazakhstan)
80 kg
1 Tereza Dzurova (Bulgaria)
2 Tatiana Timonina (Russia)
3 Gana Sherban (Ukraine)
3 Akmaral Chingiskhanova (Kazakhstan)
U-18
48 kg
1 Ekaterina Mikhailova (Russia)
2 Doegorzhov Magsarsav (Mongolia)
3 Tsira Abuladze (Georgia)
3 Iulia Luchkova (Belarus)
60 kg
1 Maria Shkvarunets (Russia)
2 Ekaterina Gretsu (Moldova)
3 Tamara Pantaleeva (Bulgaria)
3 Maria Mazan (Ukraine)
75 kg
1 Ksenya Isaeva (Russia)
2 Ludmila Nikitina (Ukraine)
3 Natalia Repeshko (Moldova)

Note: only 3 sambo players participated in this weight class


Otar Maglakelidze