Geno Petriashvili after winning a world title in 2019 (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)As of today, we are just over 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo.
In the beginning, with boundless ambition and desire, many will make the claim that they will one day reach the lofty status of legend. To live on beyond the end of their physical bodies and become something more. To be one of the best to ever do it, to be a legend. Each generation has those names that continue to live on, modern-day warriors whose battles are forever immortalized. At only 27 years old, three-time 125 KG world champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia looks to build upon his heavyweight legacy with an Olympic title in Tokyo. This article will look at the career of Petriashvili as he grew from age group talent to heavyweight elite and to a legend.
Cadets & Junior's (2010-2014)
Born April 1st, 1994, Geno Petriashvili was immediately a contender in age group competition for Georgia and they used him as a dual-threat. After a fourth-place finish in the 100 KG weight class at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, Petriashvili would return to competition in the summer of 2011 at the age of 17, taking bronze at the 120 KG Junior European championships and winning gold at the 100 KG Cadet European championships. Petriashvili's 2011 campaign would end with a runner-up finish at the 100 KG Cadet World Championships after being pinned by American Adam Coon in the finals.
Now at 18, 2012 would see Petriashvili begin splitting time between Junior and Senior level competition with his best finishes being bronze at Junior World's and a 5th place finish at the Dmitri Korkin tournament.
At only 19 years old, Petriashvili would announce himself as a serious threat at the Junior and Senior levels in 2013. Geno first made major noise with a breakout bronze medal performance at the Senior European championships with wins over 2012 Junior world champion Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov (RUS) and 2012 Olympian Nick Matuhin (GER). Geno would double up gold at the Junior level, winning the Junior European Championships and Junior World Championships leading into the Senior World Championships. Geno's senior world debut started off electric, with two tech falls to make the semis where he'd face off against five-time World/Olympic champion Khadzhimurat Gatsalov of Russia. Petriashvili would bring a frenetic pace to the match, but the counters of the veteran Gatsalov would lead him to a pin win over the young Georgian talent. Rebounding from his loss to Gatsalov in the semifinals, Petriashvili tech falled Zhiwei Deng of China for bronze.
Petriashvili had an up and down 2014 with dominant showings; Going 3-1 at the Senior World Cup and winning the Junior European title and tech falling his way through the Junior World Championships bracket for his second gold. But Petriashvili's results from the Junior world championships were overturned after a positive drug test for preductal and Petriashvili was banned for 6 months. But there was more to Geno's positive test, a defining past trauma.
At 11 years old, Geno was kidnapped and held for ransom in South Ossetia for three months straight in a basement with little food or water. South Ossetia is a geographically and ethnically Georgian territory that Russia invaded and now claims as its own. The conflict between transplanted Russians and the native Georgians of South Ossetia was one of the leading stories of the kidnapping case, as the men who kidnapped Geno were Russians and they demanded a considerable ransom from Geno's family who had owned a chain of gas stations. When Petriashvili was freed from his kidnappers, he was prescribed preductal to deal with the chest angina caused by the severe weight loss he had endured.
The Contender Years (2015-2017)
Now a full-fledged Senior at 21 years old, Geno's first competition back would be at the Olympia tournament, where he took gold in freestyle and 8th in Greco. Petriashvili's first major test in over a year would take place at the European Games in Minsk, Belarus. Stopped in the semifinals by 2011 world champion Aleksei Shemarov (BLR), Geno defeated 2010 World bronze medalist Levan Berianidze (ARM). A Ziolkowski gold gave Petriashvili momentum going into world's, but Geno suffered a shocking tech fall loss in the semis against 2011 world bronze medalist Jamaladdin Magomedov (AZE) and would take bronze over Chuluunbat Jargalsaikhan (MGL). Rebounding from the disappointment of the World Championships, Petriashvili won gold at the Baku Golden Grand Prix by forfeit over Jamaladdin Magomedov (AZE).
Entering 2016 as the consensus #2 at the weight behind reigning two-time world champion Taha Akgul (TUR), Petriashvili would have a spectacular run to start the year by winning the Medved and upsetting Akgul on his way to Senior European gold and then double up on European titles by winning the U-23 European Championships crown and an undefeated run at the World Cup. Making the quarterfinal in Rio off a win over 2013 world runner-up Alan Zasieiev (UKR), Petriashvili would face returning Olympic bronze medalist Khomeil Ghasemi (IRI). The powerful Iranian would stymie the high-paced offense of Petriashvili and win 4-4 on criteria relegate Petriashvili to the consolation bracket. Facing two-time world bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev (USA), Petriashvili would quickly dispose of the talented American by 10-0 tech fall. Petriashvili would compete twice to end 2016, taking gold with Team Georgia at the European Nations Cup and winning his second Baku Golden Grand Prix title over Alan Zasieiev (UKR).
Now at the start of a new quad, Geno began 2017 winning the Grand Prix of Paris, putting together his second undefeated World Cup run and winning his second U-23 European championships title. At the same time, reigning three-time World/Olympic champion Taha Akgul of Turkey was breaking into a league of his own at heavyweight. Petriashvili, the returning European champion, was the only man to have beaten the Turkish giant since the 2013 World Championships. Akgul took this personally and he made sure to repay the favor to Petriashvili, thrashing Geno in a dominant 14-4 quarterfinal win. Geno rebounded for bronze with a win over 2x Olympian Daniel Ligeti (HUN), but it was clear now that Akgul had completely jumped levels since their 2016 meeting. Geno would now have to wait until Paris to get his chance to slay the Turkish giant at the world championships.
The Champion (2017-)
Geno and Taha were on a collision course to meet in the finals. Geno kept his end of the deal up with three straight tech falls to make the finals. Akgul had one regular decision and two tech falls. Geno was looking for his first World/Olympic title, while Taha was hungry for his fourth. The undisputed #1 vs. #2 match did not disappoint. Taha rushed out to an early lead and looked to be in the driver's seat throughout the first period, but Geno fired back to take the 4-4 lead to end the first. After scrambles and flurries that would make lightweights tired, Akgul led the match 8-8 and, with short time left, looked guaranteed for title number four. But there was time left. 10 seconds left and Geno exposes a late Akgul shot to win 10-8. Finally the champion, no longer the contender, Geno had done it. Geno's victory lap to close out 2017 saw him double up on world titles with gold at U-23 World's and win gold with team Easy Pipe at the World Club Cup.
An old warhorse that had come out of the shadows in the form of 2012 Olympian Oleksandr Khotsianivski (UKR) was the man to hand Petriashvili his first loss of 2018 in the finals of the International Ukrainian Tournament. Khotsianivski was a man possessed in Kiev, bulldozing elite competition the likes of Giorgi Meshvildishvili (GEO) and Yadollah Mohebbi (IRI) on the way to his finals match against Petriashvili. Geno struck gold at the Dan Kolov over 2014 Russian National champion Muradin Kushkov (RUS) ahead of the European championships. A dominant run through to the finals saw Petriashvili match up again with Akgul, who would beat the reigning world champion 2-1 for his 5th European title. A title at the Tbilisi GP would serve as Petriashvili's final warmup for world's and when the brackets came out, Petriashvili would have Akgul in the semis. But the finals rematch was not to be as Taha Akgul was upset in the quarterfinals by Parviz Hadi (IRI), who Petriashvili beat 13-6. Petriashvili's second world title was a 6-0 layup against Zhiwei Deng (CHN). A title at the prestigious Alans tournament in Vladikavkaz, Russia, capped off another successful year for the repeat champion Petriashvili.
2019 saw Petriashvili register another runner-up finish to Taha Akgul at the European Championships, this time in the form of a 7-0 loss to the now seven-time European Championships/Games gold medalist. A third straight title at the Tbilisi Grand Prix of Petriashvili would propel the returning two-time world champion to Nursultan, where he'd look to win his third consecutive World gold and qualify for his second Olympics. Petriashvili teched his way through the semis, where he would finally get the chance to avenge his 2018 loss to Oleksandr Khotsianivski (UKR). Petriashvili held off the Ukrainian powerhouse for a 6-2 win and his third world finals appearance and eighth meeting against three-time World/Olympic champion Taha Akgul (TUR). Another instant classic match went down between Geno and it would be the Georgian who would repeat his world triumph over Akgul from 2017 to take home his third straight world title with a 6-6 win. Closing out the year competing in the Iranian Pro League, Petriashvili would drop a 15-11 loss to Junior world runner-up Amir Zare (IRI).
Petriashvili would compete only once in the abbreviated 2020 COVID season, winning the European championships in February over Robert Baran (POL). Petriashvili would make his return to competition this year, winning the Henri Deglane challenge over Robert Baran (POL) and following it up with a bronze medal finish at the European championships, where he fell 6-1 in his opening round match against Taha Akgul (TUR).
Geno Petriashvili is in a very special position going into the Tokyo Olympics. The reigning three-time world champion will have to contend against the reigning 3x World/Olympic champion Taha Akgul who looks better than ever and beat Petriashvili earlier this year at Euros. Will Petriashvili be clutch again and defeat Akgul for the third time at the big show, or will Akgul on the big stage in Tokyo? Add in the looming threats of young talents Gable Steveson (USA) and Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) and Petriashvili will have to run the gauntlet if he wants to win his fourth straight World/Olympic title.
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