Guram Kostava

Georgian épée fencer Guram Kostava represented the Soviet national team from 1958 to 1968. Kostava won his first medal at the World Fencing Championships in 1959 with a silver in the team event. The following year he competed in the individual and team event at the 1960 Roma Olympics, winning bronze in the latter with compatriots Bruno Habārovs, Arnold Chernushevich, Valentin Chernikov, and Aleksandr Pavlovsky. A year later he won his first gold at the World Fencing Championships with victory in the team event. He had further success in the team events at the championships with bronze (1965), silver (1966), and gold (1967), along with individual bronze medals in 1963 and 1965. Kostava competed at his second Olympics at the 1964 Tokyo Games where he won bronze in the individual épée tournament. After his competitive career he became a coach in the United Arab Emirates.