Shota Chochishvili
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Soviet Union
| ||
| Men's judo | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1972 Munich | Half-Heavyweight |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1976 Montreal | Open class |
| World Championships | ||
| | 1975 Vienna | Open |
Shota Samsonovich Chochishvili (July 10, 1950 – August 27, 2009) (Georgian: შოთა ჩოჩიშვილი, Russian: Шота Самсонович Чочишвили), the first Soviet judo champion was a Georgian judoka who competed for the Soviet Union in the Summer Olympics in 1972 and 1976. He was born in Ghvlevi, K'arelis Raioni, Soviet Georgia.
Judo career
Olympic Medalist (1972)
Chochishvili competed for the Soviet Union as a judoka in 1972 Summer Olympics, aged 22, he won the gold medal in the half-heavyweight class. Four years later, in 1976 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the open category.
He is bronze medalist in world championship Vienna 1975
He is also three times silver medalist in European championship: 1973 Madrid, 1974 London, 1975 Lion.
He was also bronze medalist in Ludwigshafen in 1977.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1989)
In 1989, Chochishvili briefly competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling. On April 24, he competed in a MMA fight against Antonio Inoki, defeating him by knockout and winning Inoki's WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship. Chochishvili defended the title against Inoki in another MMA fight on May 25, which Inoki won by submission. He was involved in NJPW event at Moscow on New Year's Eve, 1989 (first wrestling event in USSR). In a tag team match, Chochishvili and Inoki defeated former Olympic wrestlers Masa Saito and Brad Rheingans.
Chochishvili ultimately did not follow through in becoming a full professional wrestler and left New Japan Pro Wrestling altogether after this card.
Death
He died at the age of 59 on August 27, 2009 from leukemia.