Despite not achieving the Olympic Committee of Israel’s criteria for London
qualification, Palelashvili was added to the delegation thanks to what the
country’s Elite Sport Department deemed to be an extraordinary athletic
accomplishment.
The 25-year-old claimed a bronze medal in the under- 73kg
competition at April’s European Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia, and
despite missing out on the OCI’s requirements of being ranked among the world’s
top 20 by a single place, was handed a ticket to London.
Palelashvili
stunned two-time defending European champion Joao Pina of Portugal in the second
round in Chelyabinsk, and after losing to Tomasz Adamiec in the quarterfinals,
beat Mansur Isaev and Giovanni Di Cristo in the repechage to clinch a
bronze.
Palelashvili, who moved from Georgia to Israel with his wife in
2006, was earmarked by the OCI as a future Olympian following the Beijing Games
and lived up to the expectations by qualifying for London.
The fickle
nature of his sport means it is difficult to predict what he might achieve this
summer. However, if things go his way he could certainly reach the quarterfinals
and from there anything is possible.
