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A great talent right from the start, Lukhumi CHKHVIMIANI of Georgia was medalling on the continental championship level as a cadet in 2009, didn’t see so much competition as a junior which is not so unusual in a nation that is churning out talent like no other. Then were better to take his first IJF World Judo Tour medal that in the heart of Georgia itself, in the Tbilisi Grand Prix as it was then, in 2014.
After this bronze result, Chkhvimiani went on to win the event for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019, the year that it all came together.
Almost two months after being supported his home crowd, Chkhvimiani claimed the European title during the European Games in Minsk, and incredibly, a further two months down in the line, took the World title in the birth place of judo, Japan. It was nothing short of a fairytale year for the -60kg athlete, but it didn’t stop there. Chkhvimiani continued to claim Grand Slam medals and bowed out on home soil by winning the Georgian National Championships.
During the Tbilisi Grand Slam, he was officially recognised and celebrated with a ceremony and congratulations, an ode to his contribution to Georgian Judo and the impact it has on the generations to come.
I am very happy when I see how people love Georgian athletes. I want to thank each and every fan once again. This is exciting, I am not a very emotional person, however, when you fight your whole life, for 20-22 years you go towards your goals and then this one world ends, it is probably a little difficult.
But I encourage myself that I stay in sports and fill myself more with my relationships with children. This helps me not to feel this loss that much. And I will try to enjoy this sport as a coach this time and bring victories to my country.
As for coaching, my first goal is for my student to become an Olympic champion, because the only regret in my career was that I could not accomplish that. and therefore, I want to compensate for this loss as a coach. I would be happy if I could raise an Olympic champion for Georgia, because we don’t have that many of them.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen