Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ შერაზადიშვილი; born 19 February 1996) is a Georgian-born, Spanish judoka.[1][2]
Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ შერაზადიშვილი; born 19 February 1996) is a Georgian-born, Spanish judoka.[1][2]
Sherazadishvili began training in the sports of Judo and Water Polo at the age of 10, and immigrated to Madrid, Spain with his parents at the age of 14, he then decided to focus on Judo, where he would enter a club ran by former-Olympian, Joaquín "Quino" Ruiz, in Brunete, just outside Madrid.[3] Sherazadishvili was granted Spanish citizenship in 2014,[4] so he could begin competing under the Spanish flag.
In April 2018, Sherazadishvili competed at the 2018 European Judo Championships in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he would successfully win a bronze medal. He lost to Mikhail Igolnikov in the quarter-final match by ippon in 18 seconds; however, he then rebounded against Belarus' judoka, Yahor Varapayeu to give Sherazadishvili his first ever senior continental medal.[5]
On 24 September 2018, Sherazadishvili qualified for his first senior world championships, which were held in Baku, Azerbaijan. He would beat Iceland's Blondal in his first match and rematch his former opponent and 2018 European champion, Mikhail Igolnikov whom he would defeat by waza-ari. In the fourth round he would defeat Turkish judoka, Mikail Ozerler and would defeat former World Champion, Asley Gonzalez in the quarter-finals; advancing Sherazadishvili to the semi-finals. Sherazadishvili met with Hungary's Krisztian Toth whom he defeated by ippon and advanced to the finals against Ivan Felipe Silva. Sherazadishvili made history and became Spain's first ever world champion,[6][7] when he won by ippon in the finals.[8][9]
