Vladimir Mestvirishvili, the legendary coach who trained wrestlers such as Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, and Bajrang Punia during their early days, breathed his last on Monday.
He was the coach of the Georgian team for 10 years in the former Soviet Union between 1982 and 1992, where he produced several European, Olympic and World champions.
Mestvirishvili came to India in 2003. He is seen as the man who shaped Sushil and Yogeshwar in their early years, with both of them qualifying for the Athens Olympics in 2004.
He was with the Indian team until 2017, following which Sushil brought him back to coach at Chhatrasal stadium, where he worked with Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia. He also coached Divya Kakran during this time.
