Gujejiani headed to Uzbekistan

One of the most influential coaches in world judo is set for a new challenge. Lasha Gujejiani, the architect behind Georgia's golden generation, will soon begin working with the Uzbekistan Judo Federation. According to JudoInside, the appointment has yet to be formally completed but the move appears to be only a matter of time.

Gujejiani announced his departure from the Georgian men's team on social media last week, ending an extraordinary coaching chapter that saw Georgia establish itself as one of the dominant forces in men's judo. 

The former heavyweight, who finished fifth at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the +100kg category, first guided Georgia's talented junior generation before taking charge of the senior men's team in December 2020.

During his tenure, Georgia enjoyed unprecedented success. At the Tokyo Olympic Games, Lasha Bekauri captured Olympic gold while Vazha Margvelashvili, Lasha Shavdatuashvili and Guram Tushishvili all secured silver medals. 

Four years later in Paris, Bekauri successfully defended his Olympic title and Tato Grigalashvili and Ilia Sulamanidze added two more silver medals. 

Combined with multiple World and European titles, Gujejiani helped shape one of the strongest national teams of the modern era, developing athletes such as Bekauri, Grigalashvili and Luka Maisuradze into world-class champions.

For Gujejiani, Uzbekistan offers an ambitious high-performance environment with world class facilities, talented athletes and strong federation support. The challenge now is to build on an already impressive programme and help deliver more Olympic and World Championship success.

Georgia, meanwhile, faces the difficult task of replacing the coach who oversaw arguably the greatest period in the nation's judo history. Filling those shoes will be one of the biggest coaching challenges in international judo.