Ilias Iliadis
Olympic champion at 17, world champion three times
- Born
- November 10, 1986, Akhmeta, Georgia
- Nationality
Greece- Height
- 179 cm (5′10″)
- Stance
- Switch
- Style
- Two-sided power thrower
- Weight
- 81 kg, 90 kg
- Active
- 2003–2016
- Status
- Retired · age 39
The medals
Olympic gold at 17 (2004), 3 world titles
The story
orn Jarji Zviadauri in Akhmeta, Georgia, and a cousin of Georgian Olympic champion Zurab Zviadauri, Ilias Iliadis moved to Greece as a teenager and competed as Ilias Iliadis. In 2004, aged 17, he won the 81 kg Olympic title in Athens, beating Ukraine's Roman Gontyuk in the final, one of the youngest men ever to win Olympic judo gold. Moving up to 90 kg, he took world silver in 2005 and 2007, then world titles in 2010, 2011 and 2014, plus Olympic bronze in London in 2012. Able to throw off either side, he was ranked world number one at 90 kg from 2011 to 2013. He retired after the 2016 Games and has since coached Uzbekistan's national team.
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- Olympic champion, 81 kg (2004)
- World champion, 90 kg (2010, 2011, 2014)
- European champion (2004 81 kg, 2011 90 kg)
- World Masters champion (2013)
- Greek Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
- Greece's flag bearer, Beijing 2008
Defining matches
- 2004WINvs Roman Gontyuk (Athens Olympic 81 kg final, aged 17)
- 2010WINvs Daiki Nishiyama (World Championships 90 kg final, Tokyo)
- 2011WINvs Daiki Nishiyama (World Championships 90 kg final, Paris)
- 2014WINvs Krisztián Tóth (World Championships 90 kg final, Chelyabinsk)
Iliadis could attack uchi mata to either side, which made him hard to read and hard to grip-block. Learn your best throw on your weaker side too, even as a surprise entry, so opponents cannot load up their defence on one side.
