Two Georgian judo wrestlers, 2019 Tokyo World Championships winner Lukhum Chkhvimiani and rising talent Tato Grigalashvili, are in running to collect annual International Judo Federation awards in a public poll.
The two athletes have been picked for two of the five award categories drawn up by the international ruling body to recognise outstanding wrestlers of the past year in the sport, with judo enthusiasts able to cast votes for their favourites online.
NOMINEES FOR MALE JUDOKA OF THE YEAR ????????
— Judo (@Judo) December 16, 2020
@lukhumi_chkhvimiani @ono0203
@sagi_muki
@lukaskrpalek
@jorgefonsca
Vote for your favorites at ????????https://t.co/VgKHd3Cje6
Winner will be announced during JUDOFEST on ????DEC 27th ???? pic.twitter.com/HtQ9NcPKU2
Chkhvimiani, who triumphed at last year's Senior World Championships in the Japanese capital, is in running to win the Male Judoka of the Year title, with Shohei Ono, Jorge Fonseca, Sagi Muki and Lukas Krpalek also in contention.
Grigalashvili, a 21-year-old winner of this year's Düsseldorf Grand Slam, is vying for the Rising Star Award of the 2019-2020 season, with his competition featuring fellow wrestlers Patricia Sampaio, Andrea Stojadinov, Manuel Lombardo and Shirine Boukli.
The IJF poll will be open for the public through December 21, with each registered user of the governing body's official website able to cast a vote every 24 hours. Winners of the end-of-the-year poll will be unveiled on December 27.