On August 8, 2016, at the Rio Olympics, Georgian judoka Lasha Shavdatuashvili and Russian Denis Yartsev met each other in the repechage match.
Shavdatuashvili’s speech at “Karioka Arena” was already impressive. The Georgian took home a bronze medal from Rio, but the victory over Denis Yartsev was especially memorable for all of us.
After the victory, athlete from Gori pointed to the five-crossed flag on his kimono.
16-year-old Lasha Shavdatuashvili left the village of Karaleti with his family during the August war. This village, located on the Tskhinvali road, was one of the main targets of the Russian occupiers. Lasha Shavdatuashvili’s family survived the war, and eight years later he defeated the Russian athlete.
On August 8, Georgian would not lose – the historical story of Lasha Shavdatuashvili
