Lado Vardelashvili Minister of Sport and Youth Affair gave a visit to Sport Centre named after Shota Chochishvili and met members of Junior Georgian Judo National Team and leadership of this team after coming back from Morocco. Lado Vardzelashvili congratulated Avtandil Chrikashvili (81 kg) and Zebeda Rekhviashvili (73 kg) successful competing at Agadir World Championship. Chrikashvili became a world champion and Rekhviashvili won bronze medal. Georgian team took the 5th place.
“I congratulate whole Georgia such success. Youth Georgian Judo Team succeeded much this year. We have World Champion – Avtandil Chrikashvili, who became European Champion month ago. This guy is really brilliant sportsman and he has perfect future. I hope these guys will replace leaders of National Team respectfully. They have chance to show their possibilities at Georgian Championship and get a license of London Olympic Games. Then they should do their best there. Successful sportsmen will be appraised with prize money by government and Ministry of Sport. 15 000 $ is for World Champion, 10 and 5 000 $ is for silver and bronze medals winners. I want to thank to coaches also”.
Giorgi Gugava a head coach of Georgian Youth Team summarized.
“Team prepared quite well for Championship, that’s why we were planning 3-4 medals. But some of them could not overcome tense situation, some of them competition. They have lack of experience with Asian sportsmen and due to it they had such results. For the future I want team to compete at such tournament where participants will be from Japan, Korea. Winning world championship is rather difficult than winning European championship. Most strong opponent has two teams and it is very difficult to overcome such competition. If you want to overcome such competition you have to be Chrikashvili. He wrestled perfect. He beat very strong opponent of Japan in the semi final and before final approximately 20 minutes their staff of coaches was discussing what kind style they had to use against our judokas according watching the video records. As I heard later, they even did not find any shortcoming to our sportsman. When Chrikashvili defeated their sportsman when they were meeting him they were bowing for showing the respect. He is really unexplained sportsman. When I am sitting at tatami even I cannot imagine what kind trap he can use. His wrestling is full of suddenness. He feels very well the dynamic of wrestling and it is natural gift. I can sit and calmly look what he will do, without instructing anything. He is physically and psychologically incomparable. He does not have nerves at all. I can say that this guy is discovery in international judo” stated Guagava in a talk with “World Sport”.
A World Champion made such comment:
Avtandil Chrikashvili:“For me the most difficult was match before final, where I wrestled against Japanese sportsman. I got tired but I managed to beat him. I was physically and psychologically ready for championship. Sportsman should be ready for big success before participating in tournaments. Prize money from government is big stimulus for us. Now I will start preparation for Georgian Championship and will try to do my best there. To wrestle against Georgian judokas is great challenge for me. I want to deserve place in main staff of Georgian National Team”.
Otar Maglakelidze
