Shota Lomidze

Schota Grigoryevich Lomidze (born January 20, 1936 in Sakulia , Imereti , Georgia ; † October 23, 1993 ibid) was a Soviet wrestler of Georgian origin. He won a silver medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics and was also world and European freestyle champion several times .

Career

Shota Lomidze came to wrestle as a teenager in Georgia. He concentrated on the freestyle and belonged to the sports club Dynamo Tbilisi . At a height of 1.80 meters, he weighed around 90 kg as an adult, but increased his weight to over 100 kg in the course of his career. He was a stocky and extremely powerful wrestler.

For the first time he drew attention to himself at the Soviet championship in freestyle wrestling in 1959, where he came in third place in the light heavyweight division behind Boris Kulayev and Boris Gurevich . In 1960 he reached the 4th place at the same championship behind Boris Kulayev, Boris Gurewitsch and Anatoli Albul . For a start at the international championships he could not qualify in the years up to 1963. In 1964 he was then Soviet middleweight champion . He also won a strong international middleweight tournament in Tbilisi in 1964 in front of Gobedishvili, USSR, Prodan Gardschew , Bulgaria and Boris Gurevich.

In 1964 he was used by the Soviet Wrestling Association at the Olympic Games in Mexico City in the middleweight division. He wrestled there against Prodan Gardschew, then defeated Rudolf Kobelt from Switzerland and lost to Hassan Güngör from Turkey. He only came in 9th place, which was disappointing for him.

1965 Schota Lomidze was again Soviet light heavyweight champion. At the World Championships that year in Manchester he was used with middleweight. He wrestled in Manchester against Wayne Baugham from the United States and then won over Sajan Singh, India, Francisc Bola, Romania and Géza Höllösi from Hungary. In his fifth fight he fought against Prodjan Gardjew in a draw. He had thus scored 6 missing points and was eliminated. Since three wrestlers had less than 6 missing points after the 5th round, he ended up in 4th place.

1966 Schota Lomidze was again Soviet light heavyweight champion. This year it was used at the European Championships, which took place for the first time since 1949 and were held in Karlsruhe in a free style . In Karlsruhe he defeated Peter Jutzeler from Switzerland, Marcel Levasseur from France, Wasil Todorow from Bulgaria, József Csatari , Hungary and Ahmet Ayik from Turkey. This made him European champion in a superior style. At the world championship of that year it was not used anyway, because in the Soviet Union Alexander Medved , who had always started in the heavyweight division, started from 1962 to 1996 at international light heavyweight championships. This was an unbeatable competitor for Schota Lomidze.

Schota Lomidze was once again Soviet light heavyweight champion in 1967 and was used that year at both the European Championships in Istanbul and the World Championships in New Delhi . In both championships he finished 2nd. In Istanbul he defeated József Csatari, Gerd Bachmann, GDR, then lost to Ahmet Ayik and defeated Hjusni Hjusniew from Bulgaria. in New Delhi he defeated Ryszard Dlugosz, Poland, then lost again to Ahmet Ayik, defeated József Csatari and Peter Jutzeler and fought against Said Mustafow , Bulgaria, in a draw.

1968 Schota Lomidze took part in Mexico City in the light heavyweight for the second time in the Olympic Games. Alexander Medwed started there in the heavyweight division. Schota Lomidse defeated Heinz Kiehl from Germany, Jozsef Csatari and Rudolf Kobelt from Switzerland in Mexico City . He then wrestled against both Said Mustafow and Ahmet Ayik. Although he remained undefeated in this tournament, he only won the silver medal behind Ahmet Ayik , because he was one missing point better than him in the final account with 6 missing points.

From 1969 the international wrestling federation FILA changed the weight classification again. There was now also a super heavyweight from 100 kg body weight. Schota Lomidze started in this weight class at the European Championships this year in Sofia and won the European title with victories over Wieslaw Bochenski, Poland, Andrej Burik, Czechoslovakia , Omar Topuz, Turkey and Osman Duraliew , Bulgaria. At the 1969 World Championships in Mar del Plata, he started a weight class lower, i.e. in the heavyweight division. With victories over Wasil Todorow, Bulgaria, Hologin Baianmunkh, Mongolia, Peter Jutzeler and Larry Kristoff from the United States, he won his first world title.

In the weight class up to 100 kg (heavyweight), Schota Lomidze had grown up in the Soviet Union with Ivan Jarygin, a new, extremely strong competitor. Nevertheless, he was used again in this weight class at the World Championships in Sofia in 1971. He justified his commitment there and became world champion again with victories over Enache Panait, Romania, Khalid, Iraq, Alfons Hecher , Germany and József Csatari and a draw against Hollogin Baianmunkh.

For the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Schota Lomidze could no longer qualify. There Iwan Jarygin and Alexander Medwed for the Soviet Union came in the two heaviest weight classes, both of whom also became Olympic champions.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Result
1964	1.	International tournament in Tbilisi	medium	before Gobedishvili, USSR, Prodan Gardschew, Bulgaria and Boris Gurevich, USSR
1964	9.	OS in Tokyo	medium	after a draw with Prodan Gardschew, a win over Rudolf Kobelt, Switzerland and a loss against Hassan Güngör, Turkey
1965	4th	World Cup in Manchester	medium	after a draw against Wayne Baugham, USA, victories over Sajan Singh, India, Francisc Bola, Turkey and Géza Höllösi, Hungary and a draw against Prodan Gardschew
1966	1.	EM in Karlsruhe	Semi-difficult	after victories over Peter Jutzeler, Switzerland, Marcel Levasseur, France, Wasil Todorow, Bulgaria and Ahmet Ayik, Turkey
1967	2.	EM in Istanbul	Semi-difficult	after victories over József Csatari, Hungary and Gerd Bachmann, GDR, a defeat against Ahmet Ayik and a victory over Hjusni Hjusniew, Bulgaria
1967	2.	World Cup in New Delhi	Semi-difficult	after a victory over Ryszard Dlugosz, Poland, a defeat against Ahmet Ayik, victories over Jozsef Csatari and Peter Jutzeler and a draw against Said Mustafow, Bulgaria
1968	silver	OS in Mexico City	Semi-difficult	after victories over Heinz Kiehl, Germany, József Csatari and Moslem Eskandar Filabi, Iran and a draw against Said Mustafow and Ahmet Ayik
1969	1.	EM in Sofia	Super heavy	after victories over Wieslaw Bochenski, Poland, Andrej Burik, CSSR, Omar Topuz, Turkey and Osman Duraliew, Bulgaria
1969	1.	World Cup in Mar del Plata	Heavy	after a draw against Wasil Todorow, Bulgaria and victories over Hollogin Baianmunkh, Mongolia, Peter Jutzeler and Larry Kristoff, USA
1971	1.	World Cup in Sofia	Heavy	after victories over Enache Panait, Romania, Khalid, Iraq, Alfons Hecher, Germany and József Csatari and a draw against Hollogin Baianmunkh

Soviet championships

year	space	Weight class	Results
1959	3.	medium	behind Boris Kulayev and Boris Gurevich
1960	4th	medium	behind Boris Kulayev, Boris Gurevich and Anatoly Albul
1964	1.	medium
1965	1.	Semi-difficult
1966	1.	Semi-difficult
1967	1.	Semi-difficult

Explanations

• all free style competitions
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• Mean weight up to 1961 up to 79 kg, from 1962 to 1968 up to 87 kg; Light heavy weight up to 1961 up to 87 kg, from 1962 to 1968 up to 97 kg, heavy weight, since 1969 up to 100 kg, super heavy weight since 1969 over 100 kg body weight

literature

• Athletics magazine
• Documentation of International Wrestling Championships 1896 to 1976 of the FILA, 1976

Web links

• Shota Lomidze in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Profile of Shota Lomidze at the Georgian Olympic Committee
• Film report on Shota Lomidze