Boxer Lasha Guruli score’s Georgia’s second-ever Olympic bronze

Georgian boxer Lasha Guruli secured the country’s second-ever Olympic bronze medal in his debut appearance at the ongoing Summer Games in Paris on Sunday.

Guruli finished on the third step of the podium after his defeat to Cuba’s Alvarez Borges in the semi-finals.

Georgia’s Ministry of Sport said Guruli's feat marked only the second time a Georgian boxer had clinched an Olympic medal, following Vladimer Chanturia's third-place finish at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

Guruli reached the semifinal after defeating Malik Hasanov of Azerbaijan 5-0, before his quarter-final victory over Kazakhstan’s Bazarbai Muhammad Sabri 3-2.

The Georgian is the vice-champion of the European Games, with two bronze and two silver medals of the World Championship.

Georgia, represented by 28 athletes at the Paris Olympics, now has four medals - a gold claimed by judoka Lasha Bekauri and two silver medals from fellow judo wrestlers Tato Grigalashvili and Ilia Sulamanidze, in addition to Guruli’s result. The latter’s win is also the country’s 44th Olympic medal overall, the Ministry noted.

The Government has pledged cash awards worth ₾1 million ($369,717) to each Olympic champion, ₾500,000 ($184,858) to every silver medallist, and ₾250,000 ($92,429) to bronze medal-winners.