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"But we go! Of course, you can love two countries at the same time. My heart 'split' in half, for Spain and Georgia ». In the case of

Nikoloz Sherazadishvili

(Tbilisi, Georgia, 1996), the homeland is the tatami. And his duality is explained by common sense, extreme calm and the obsession with which he takes life and judo. He is number one in the world ranking at -90 kg and there is no clear gold option in the next Tokyo Games for Spain, the country in which he was nationalized in 2014, as he found his "second father" here.

In Brunete's small gym, one winter night, Niko is the center of attention.

Children who leave training with their parents ask him for photos, and classmates of all nationalities awaiting

Quino Ruiz's

instructions look at him with admiration.

Right here a blond young man knocked on the door who barely knew Spanish, but who "wanted to train judo every day."

«And I met the best coach and my second father.

When you have a good teacher at school, it makes you like the subject.

This is the same.

He motivated me, made me set more goals.

At the same time he was demanding more of me, ”recalls Shera, who has just confirmed her status as favorite at the Grand Slam in Paris, where she won after defeating local

Axel Clerget

, one of his black beasts.

The Sherazadishvili family had come to Madrid in search of a future, although the father,

Zakaria

, soon passed away

, the one who had "gotten into" a sport that in Georgia is religion.

The loss was one more incentive for those who already loved judo, for those who soon became a diamond.

And neither nostalgia nor pressure influenced when choosing who to compete for.

Niko chose Spain because he felt that way and because it was the most reasonable thing to do.

«When I started the process no one knew me, I had no results.

It looked something, but it was a junior first year.

Afterward, some blamed Georgia for letting me go.

But nobody really knew the story, what I had experienced, what I felt at that time, what my coach gave me, which was everything, "he clarifies, clearing up controversies, who came to feel out of place in his two countries: "In Georgia they saw me as a Spaniard and in Spain as a Georgian."

The limits of the parent-child relationship

Quino, a national legend, was molding him like a son, because he sensed in his eyes not only qualities, but a passion and respect that he no longer remembered in anyone, a boy who watched judo videos for entertainment. And as in any parent-child relationship, the limits are touched, because there is no other way to achieve perfection. I'm a big head. You have to show me things a lot.

I trust him, but I have my opinion

. But never, training and him biting me, have I answered him wrong. Our anger makes me stronger ”, describes the pupil.

Niko is so clear that all eyes are on him that he leaves no detail to chance. «I train three times a day. Early in the morning, a physical preparation of an hour and a half. I rest and at 11 am I am going to do physical, about two hours: weights, a circuit ... And in the afternoon, judo. And that's my day to day: training, resting, watching many videos, studying rivals ... ». A ritual thoroughness that goes from the physical to the tactical, passing through the mental, since he also observes the tatami as a game of chess where

“some are left-handed, others more resistant, others right-handed, more explosive, slower

. Every one is a world. There's a lot of gripping work that people don't understand.

«I know that everyone has my medal. But I try to see it in a positive light. People trust me and that gives me a plus ». On July 29, at the mythical

Nippon Budokan in Tokyo

, Niko will repeat his ceremony in search of a peak with which to honor his two parents and his two countries, as he did in 2018 when he reached world gold in Baku -the first in the history of Spain- and Quino cried more than if he himself, who competed in three Games and was runner-up in the world, would have done it.

“On competition day I am so focused that I don't think about anything.

There are people who play music.

I nothing.

I go out, I fight, I come back from the mat, I rest.

I am capable of falling asleep between combat.

People don't understand it.

There are colleagues who drink caffeine and do not sleep until the next day.

I do not want anything.

I focus on that moment and disconnect ", he explains about that zen state that acts in reverse in those around him, total alarm:" My teammates and coaches get nervous.

But get active!

ANTONIO HEREDIA

OLYMPIC TEST

Your favorite memory from Olympic history? As a child, I saw Zurab Zviadauri in 2004, the first Georgian Olympic champion.

He won the fights in a spectacular way, it was very shocking.

It created the feeling of wanting to be there, of wanting to win. If you get a medal, where would I go to celebrate it? In Georgia, being with my family.

And with my coach and those of my club in Brunete, which athlete do you admire?

I am struck by those who, in addition to being good athletes, are good people.

Iker Casillas, Rafa Nadal ... They are examples to follow. Their forbidden food? From Spain, the potato omelette and from Georgia, the xinkali (pork and beef dumplings) and acharuli khachapuri (cheese bread).

I love them. Do you link on social media? Yes.

If I say no, I would be lying.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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