Georgia wins 12 medals at sambo European championship

A Georgian girl has made history by becoming the country’s first-ever female European champion in sambo.

Nino Odzelashvili triumphed in the 72kg weight category and was crowned champion at the Sambo European Championship, currently underway in Kazan, Russia.

Georgia’s national sambo team won a total of 12 medals at the prestigious tournament. The medal tally included gold, four silver and four bronze.

The other gold medals went to:

• Vakhtang Chidrashvili (57kg);
• Niko Kutsia (82kg); and
• Beka Berdzenishvili (100+kg).

The silver medal winners were:

• Mindis Liluashvili (68kg);
• Irina Leonidze (80kg);
• Elene Kebadze (80+kg); and
• Paata Gviniashvili (90kg).

The bronze medals were awarded to:

• Givi Nadirashvili (52kg),
• Salome Abashidze (56kg);
• Teona Sukhitashvili (68kg); and
• Davit Loriashvili (100+kg).

Georgia sent 15 athletes to the tournament; six female and nine male.

Sambo is a Russian-style martial art and combat sport. The word sambo is an acronym, which literally translates in English to ‘self defence without weapons’.