Levan Saginashvili

{{short description|Georgian professional arm-wrestler}}

{{use American English|date=May 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| nickname =The Georgian Hulk

| image = Levan Saginashvili at Vendetta TOP 8 in Rumia, Poland (cropped).jpg

| caption = Saginashvili in 2019

| native_name =

| native_name_lang = cau

| fullname =

| nationality = Georgia

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|09|15|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgia

| residence =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 6 ft 3 in{{cite web|url=https://www.goldsarm.com/armwrestlers/levan-saginashvili|title=Levan Saginashvili - Golds Arm|website=goldsarm.com|access-date=13 March 2023|archive-date=13 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313034321/https://www.goldsarm.com/armwrestlers/levan-saginashvili|url-status=live}}

| weight = 392 lb

| website =

| country = {{flagcountry|Georgia (country)|}}

| sport = Arm wrestling

| event =

| club =

| turnedpro =

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}}

Levan Saginashvili ({{Langx|ka|ლევან საგინაშვილი}}), nicknamed the Georgian Hulk, is a Georgian professional arm-wrestler who holds the World's number 1 ranking on the Right Hand. Winner of the World Armwrestling Championship seven times, the European arm-wrestling championship six times, the Vendetta Top 8 four times, and the current holder of the East vs West Super Heavyweight Championship, Saginashvili is widely regarded as the strongest arm-wrestler in history.{{Cite web |title=Levan Saginashvili {{!}} Actor |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11956617/ |access-date=10 February 2024 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}

Career

After winning the 2013 World Police and Fire Games arm-wrestling gold medal in Belfast,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cpaf.org/5/users/cpaf/documents/results/WPFG%20Results/All%20Results.pdf |title=WPFG 2013 Results |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162328/http://www.cpaf.org/5/users/cpaf/documents/results/WPFG%20Results/All%20Results.pdf |url-status=dead }} he was awarded the merit of first degree by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

In 2018 he won the EuroArm,[https://www.eaf-armwrestling.com/championships-results/232-2018-euroarm-results 2018 EUROARM Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511071249/http://www.eaf-armwrestling.com/championships-results/232-2018-euroarm-results |date=11 May 2019 }}. eaf-armwrestling.com World Arm-wrestling Championship,{{Cite web |url=http://www.waf-armwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2018-WAF-Official-results.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115211441/http://www.waf-armwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2018-WAF-Official-results.pdf |url-status=live }} and Vendetta All Stars #50 in Rumia, Poland.[https://en.armpower.net/article/4656/vendetta-all-stars-50-results Vendetta All Stars #50 Series took part in Rumia, Poland on November 17–18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129135919/http://en.armpower.net/article/4656/vendetta-all-stars-50-results |date=29 January 2020 }}. armpower.net

Levan started arm-wrestling at the age of 20, after he was spotted working out at the gym. Swiftly after, he became the world champion. Only ever to be challenged by another Georgian champion Genadi Kvikvinia. In the modern supermatch format, he remains a level above the fierce competition.

Levan is universally recognized as the strongest arm-wrestler in the history of the sport. He has never been pinned in a supermatch.

On 20 April 2024, Saginashvili returned from a severe wrist injury to defeat Devon Larratt for the East vs West Super Heavyweight championship.

Acting

Levan appears in the 2021 historical drama film The Lady of Heaven, as well as the 2023 action film Extraction 2.{{Cite web |date=19 May 2023 |title=Extraction 2: Cast & Character Guide To The Chris Hemsworth Sequel |url=https://screenrant.com/extraction-2-cast-character-guide/ |access-date=28 May 2023 |website=Screen Rant |language=}}

Tournaments/Notable matches

{{clear}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; width:100%;"
Year

!Tournament

!Place

!Hand

!Weight class

2025

|East vs West 18 – Chicago, United States (21 June 2025)

Levan Saginashvili 5 : 0 Ermes Gasparini

|1st

|Right Hand

|Super Heavyweight

2024

|King Of The Table 13 – New Jersey, United States (14 December 2024)

Levan Saginashvili 4 : 0 Jerry Cadorette

|1st

|Right Hand

|Super Heavyweight

2024

|East vs West 12 – Istanbul, Turkey (20 April 2024)

Levan Saginashvili 4 : 0 Devon Larratt

|1st

|Right Hand

|Super Heavyweight

2023

|King Of The Table 6 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (25 February 2023)

Levan Saginashvili 4 : 2 Ermes Gasparini

|1st

|Right Hand

|Super Heavyweight

2022

|King Of The Table 4 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (25 June 2022)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Devon Larratt

|1st

|Right Hand

|Super Heavyweight

2021

|Vendetta Top 8 – Kyiv, Ukraine (5 September 2021)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Dave Chaffee

|1st

|Right Hand

|105 kg+

2019

|Zloty Tur & Vendetta Top 8 – Rumia, Poland (8 December 2019)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Vitaly Laletin{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/tag/levan-saginashvili |title=World Armwrestling Rankings by Experts |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809173449/https://www.xsportnews.com/tag/levan-saginashvili/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Right Hand

|105 kg+

2019

|Vendetta Top 8 – Shenzhen, China (14 September 2019)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Kydyrgaly Ongarbaev{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/tag/kydyrgaly-ongarbaev |title=RESULTS: ZLOTY TUR 2019, TOP 8 VENDETTA 2019 VIDEOS |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811100941/https://www.xsportnews.com/tag/kydyrgaly-ongarbaev/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Right Hand

|105 kg+

2019

|Vendetta Top 8 – Kuching, Malaysia (5 April 2019)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Tim Bresnan{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-top-8-vendetta-2019-kuching-malaysia |title=RESULTS: TOP 8 VENDETTA 2019, Kuching, Malaysia |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923162245/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-top-8-vendetta-2019-kuching-malaysia/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Right Hand

|105 kg+

2018

|Vendetta – All Stars #50 – Rumia, Poland (18 November 2018)

Levan Saginashvili 6 : 0 Dmitry Trubin{{Cite web |url=https://en.armpower.net/article/4656/vendetta-all-stars-50-results |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129135919/http://en.armpower.net/article/4656/vendetta-all-stars-50-results |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Right Hand

|105 kg+

rowspan="2" |2018

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2018 (WAF) – Antalya, Turkey{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2018-40th-world-armwrestling-championships-2018-waf |title=Results: Worldarm 2018: 40th World Armwrestling Championships 2018 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922013301/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2018-40th-world-armwrestling-championships-2018-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2018

| rowspan="2" | Euroarm 2018 – Sofia, Bulgaria{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2018-28th-european-armwrestling-championships-2018 |title=RESULTS: EUROARM 2018, 28th European Armwrestling Championships 2018 |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804022626/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2018-28th-european-armwrestling-championships-2018/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2017

| rowspan="2" |Zloty Tur – Rumia, Poland{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-zloty-tur-2017-world-cup |title=RESULTS: Zloty Tur 2017 World Cup |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923161052/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-zloty-tur-2017-world-cup/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2017

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2017 (WAF) – Budapest, Hungary{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2017-39th-world-armwrestling-championships-2017-waf |title=RESULTS: WORLDARM 2017: 39th World Armwrestling Championships 2017 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=15 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815042823/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2017-39th-world-armwrestling-championships-2017-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

5th

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2017

| rowspan="2" |Euroarm 2017 – Katowice, Poland{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2017-27th-european-armwrestling-championships-2017 |title=RESULTS: EUROARM 2017, 27th European Armwrestling Championships 2017 |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926202003/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2017-27th-european-armwrestling-championships-2017/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2016

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2016 (WAF) – Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2016-38th-world-armwrestling-championships-2016-waf/ |title=RESULTS: WorldArm 2016: 38th World Armwrestling Championships 2016 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=24 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924022231/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2016-38th-world-armwrestling-championships-2016-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

2nd

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2016

| rowspan="2" |Euroarm 2016 – Bucharest, Romania{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2016-26th-european-armwrestling-championships-2016/ |title=RESULTS: EUROARM 2016: 26th European Armwrestling Championships 2016 |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919223144/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2016-26th-european-armwrestling-championships-2016/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

4th

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2015

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2015 (WAF) – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2015-37th-world-armwrestling-championships-2015-waf/ |title=RESULTS: WorldArm 2015: 37th World Armwrestling Championships 2015 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809022326/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-worldarm-2015-37th-world-armwrestling-championships-2015-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

2nd

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2014

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2014 (WAF) – Vilnius, Lithuania{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-36th-world-armwrestling-championships-2014-waf/ |title=RESULTS: 36th World Armwrestling Championships 2014 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923150952/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-36th-world-armwrestling-championships-2014-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2014

| rowspan="2" |Euroarm 2014 – Baku, Azerbaijan{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2014-all-results-team-results/ |title=RESULTS: EUROARM 2014 – All Results, Team Results |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809021953/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-euroarm-2014-all-results-team-results/ |url-status=live }}

|6th

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

2nd

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2014

| rowspan="2" |Georgian National Armwrestling Championship – Tbilisi, Georgia[http://msy.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=152&info_id=10723 Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship 2014]

|1st

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 100 kg+

1st

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2013

| rowspan="2" |World Armwrestling Championships 2013 (WAF) – Gdynia, Poland{{Cite web |url=https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-35th-world-armwrestling-championships-2013-waf/ |title=RESULTS: 35th World Armwrestling Championships 2013 (WAF) |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922021221/https://www.xsportnews.com/armwrestling/results-35th-world-armwrestling-championships-2013-waf/ |url-status=live }}

|4th

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 110 kg+

9th

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2013

| rowspan="2" |Georgian National Armwrestling Championship – Tbilisi, Georgia{{Cite web |url=http://msy.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=709 |title=Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship 2013 |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018053459/http://msy.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=709 |url-status=live }}

|2nd

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 100 kg+

3rd

|Right Hand

rowspan="2" |2012

| rowspan="2" |Georgian National Armwrestling Championship – Tbilisi, Georgia{{Cite web |url=http://msy.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=152&info_id=6170 |title=Georgian National Arm-wrestling Championship 2012 |access-date=30 April 2020 |archive-date=17 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717195444/http://msy.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=152&info_id=6170 |url-status=live }}

|2nd

|Left Hand

| rowspan="2"|Senior Men 100 kg+

2nd

|Right Hand

References

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