Georgia won the first gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Georgian judoist Lasha Bekauri (90 kg) confronted Japanese Sanshiro Murao in the final, defeated the opponent, and celebrated the Olympic Championship for the second time in a row.
It is noteworthy that Lasha Bekauri was the first Georgian judoist who could win an Olympic gold medal twice.
Before the final, the 24-year-old athlete defeated Ivaylo Ivanov of Bulgaria with Vazar in the eighth final, beat South Korean Juieop Han with Ippon in the quarterfinal, and won the duel with the Spanish competitor Tristan Resident in the semifinal.
Georgian Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Thea Tsulukiani, attended the Georgian sportsman competition.
Lasha Bekauri competed in the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo and won a gold medal. They remind the public that Georgia won the first medal at this year’s Olympics on July 30 – judoist Tato Grigalashvili won the silver medal.
Lasha Bekauri’s medal today is the 42nd Olympic medal of independent Georgia. This is the 11th Olympic gold medal, five of which have been won by judoists.
On August 1, the Georgian team will continue its quest for Olympic glory. Judoist Ilia Sulamanidze will join the competition, while boxer Lasha Guruli is set to face Kazakh Bazarbai Muhammed Sabir in the quarterfinals. A victory in the quarterfinals would secure a bronze medal for the Georgian sportsman.
They remind the public that the Government of Georgia will give each Olympic champion – 1,000,000 GEL, silver medalist – 500,000 GEL, and bronze prize winner – 250,000 GEL.
Lasha Bekauri
Lasha Bekauri is a Georgian judoka. He won the gold medal in the men’s 90 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. He also won the gold medal in his event at the 2019 Judo World Masters and the 2021 European Judo Championships.
