Luka Mkheidze, Georgian by birth and exiled in France, will represent the Blues (under 60 kg) at the Doha World Judo Championships in Qatar, which take place from May 7 to 14.
After the Second South Ossetian War, Luka Mkheidze’s family moved to France. The father wishes for a better life, and the young judoka is 12 years old when he arrives in France. Today, Luka Mkheidze brilliantly represents the colors of his adopted country.
During the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, the native of Tbilisi returned with a bronze medal around his neck, after beating the South Korean Won Jin Kim after a controlled fight. He thus opened the counter of the French delegation in these Games in Japan.
” I know how to manage, I am confident »
” I had a medal at the Games, at the European Championships (money, Editor’s note), so the Worlds is where I want to shine. I’m in good shape and I’m confident. In Doha, there will be the best and I think I have the level », Says the man who is preparing to compete in his third World Championship after Tokyo and Baku. Luka Mkheidze now arrives more “ relaxed “with less than” stress » on major events.
At 27, he is counting on the experience acquired in recent years to avoid being trapped by fear of the stakes. “ We know what to expect, I know how to manage, I am confident he says. Luka Mkheidze dreams of the title and his photo which could be enthroned in the Insep dojo, as for all world champions. Even if he has the Paris Olympics in 2024 in the back of his mind, his current challenge remains these Worlds. Each day has enough trouble of its. Since Thierry Rey in 1979, no Frenchman has climbed to the highest step of the podium in less than 60 kilos during the Worlds.
An exile that forged his character
Luka Mkheidze, who keeps saying that you should never “ to relax », was built in adversity. From his exile in France, he made it a strength. ” We left the family, I left my two sisters, that’s what forged my character. Nothing was easy. Whenever I had doubts, injuries, I got up thinking of my loved ones who have been proud of me since I started judo at the age of 7 “, he underlines. “ The mentality in Georgia is to become a champion as soon as you start a sport. It’s not just a game. Since I was little, I dreamed of succeeding in my discipline. “. In Georgia, judo, like wrestling, is a king sport.
Luka Mkheidze obtained French nationality in 2015. After the hopeful pole of Rouen, the judoka joined Insep in 2017 where he trains with the aim of climbing on the most beautiful French, European and world podiums. In 2023, he won his first Grand Slam title in Tel Aviv, before winning the Grand Slam in Antalya.
After his Olympic medal, which remains “ the rarest “, there ” harder to obtain, and that ” everyone hopes Luka Mkheidze aims to win the world title in Doha. “ I still want to taste the great moments of happiness “, he admits. Before returning to Georgia, to visit his relatives with a major title in his pocket.