Georgian Davit Khakhaleishvili took up judo in 1979 and rose to the Soviet national team in 1989, when he won bronze at the Soviet Championships. Khakhaleishvili débuted internationally the same year, when he won a team gold at the 1989 European Championships. In 1990 Khakhaleishvili won bronze in the open category at the European Championships and silver in the open class at the 1992 World Championships and established himself as the top heavyweight judoka in the world in early 1990s. The highlights of his career were the 1992 Olympics, where he won gold in the heavyweight division, and the 1993 European Championships, where he won gold in both the open and heavyweight events. He also won the World Championship heavyweight silver and open category bronze in 1993 and heavyweight bronze in 1995.
Khakhaleishvili won another European heavyweight title and team bronze in 1996 and went to the 1996 Olympics as a clear favorite for a heavyweight gold medal. In Atlanta, however, he and his coach went to the wrong location for weigh-ins and he was disqualified from the competition for failing to make weight. In addition to judo, Khakhaleishvili competed in sambo (a Soviet wrestling style similar to judo), winning world heavyweight titles in 1996 and 1997 and also fought three MMA fights, winning one and losing two.
Unified Team
Georgia