Zurabi Iakobishvili

Born on February 4, 1992, in Kvareli, Georgia, Zurabi Iakobishvili has distinguished himself as a Georgian freestyle wrestler and coach. He began his wrestling career with Givi Metreveli as his coach from 2000, and later David Otiashvili from 2009. His competitive career saw him participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, competing in the men’s freestyle 65 kg event where he reached the quarterfinals and secured a tenth-place finish.

Iakobishvili’s career progressed significantly with his first senior European Championships appearance in 2016 in Riga, where he placed fifth in the freestyle 65 kg event. A pivotal year was 2017, when he earned a bronze medal at the European Championships in Novi Sad and went on to win the gold medal in the freestyle 65 kg event at the World Championships in Paris. He then transitioned to the 70 kg weight class, earning multiple bronze medals at the World Championships in 2018 (Budapest), 2021 (Oslo), and 2022 (Belgrade). His achievements also include a gold medal at the 2022 European Championships in Budapest.

In addition to his competitive accomplishments, Iakobishvili has transitioned into coaching, demonstrating his continued commitment to the sport. He started coaching Norwegian freestyle wrestler Grace Bullen in 2022, guiding her to a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, a silver medal at the 2023 European Championships, a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships, a gold medal at the 2024 European Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. His coaching expertise was further recognized in October 2024 when he was appointed the head coach of the Norwegian female national wrestling team.