Giorgi Asanidze

Giorgi Asanidze is a Georgian weightlifter who won the Olympic light-heavyweight title at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a total of 382.5 kilograms, after taking the bronze medal in the same class at the 2000 Summer Olympics with 390.0 kilograms. Born on 30 August 1975 in Sachkhere in the Imereti region, he stood 173 centimetres tall and weighed 85 kilograms, and he was affiliated with the club CLKS Mazowia. He also won the 2001 World Championships in the light-heavyweight class, finished second at the 2002 World Championships, and was European champion in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He set two world records in the snatch, one in the middleweight class in 1998 and one in the light-heavyweight class in 2000. Georgia chose him as its flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Games and at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Games.