Ramaz Kharshiladze

Ramaz Kharshiladze (16 January 1951, Nazargora, Khashuri District – 12 September 2017, Khashuri) was a Georgian judoka and sambo wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union. He was awarded the title of Merited Master of Sports of the USSR.

Early life

Ramaz Kharshiladze was born on 16 January 1951 in Nazargora, Khashuri District, Georgian SSR. He began practicing judo and sambo at an early age and quickly emerged as one of the leading athletes in Soviet combat sports.

Sports career

Olympic Games and World Championships

Kharshiladze won a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the 93 kg weight category. In the same year, he also became a silver medalist at the World Judo Championships. He had previously won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 1975.

European Championships

At the European level, Kharshiladze achieved significant success. He became European Champion in 1975 and won a silver medal in 1976 in team competitions. In 1980, he earned a bronze medal in the individual weight category.

Awards and honors

Kharshiladze was a six-time winner of the Tbilisi International Judo Tournament, a record that remains unbeaten. He was a ten-time champion of the Soviet Union in judo (1974, 1976, 1979, 1980) and a two-time Soviet Union champion in sambo (1971, 1973).

He was also a two-time champion of the VI and VII Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR (1975, 1979), a three-time winner of the USSR Cup, and the winner of 15 international tournaments.

For his outstanding contributions to sport, Kharshiladze was awarded the Order of Honor of Georgia (No. 04144) by decree of the President of Georgia on 21 June 2005.