Vakhtang "Vaho" Iagorashvili (born April 5, 1964 in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

) is a Soviet

modern pentathlete The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running. The sport wa ...

, who has been a member of three different Olympic teams during his sporting career. Iagorashvili emerged as the top favorite to win the men's individual and team

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

in the late 1980s. As a competitor for the Soviet Union, he had won the bronze medal at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

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, and gold at the

1990 Goodwill Games The 1990 Goodwill Games was the second edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held between July 20 and August 5, 1990. Following an inaugural edition in Moscow, the second games took place in Seattle, Unit ...

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, became a three-time national champion for the team, and claimed multiple titles at the world championships. He also won three European titles (two golds and one bronze for the individual and team events). After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Iagorashvili retired from his sport, and emigrated to the United States to work as a physical education instructor at the

Austin Community College The Austin Community College District (ACC) is a public community college system serving the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area and surrounding Central Texas communities. The college maintains numerous campuses, centers, and distance learning opti ...

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. Iagorashvili eventually came out of retirement in 1995, and qualify for the men's modern pentathlon at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

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, representing his birth nation

. Vaho gained his U.S. citizenship in 2002 making him eligible to compete at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens. Between 1999 and 2004, Iagorashvili was appointed to be the coach of the U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team. Iagorashvili finally represented the

United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics The United States of America (USA) competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. 533 competitors, 279 men and 254 women, took part in 254 events in 31 sports. Medalists , style="text-align:left; width:78%; vertical-align:top;", ...

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, after receiving an automatic qualifying place from the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990 ...

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, where he won the gold medal. At the Olympics, he bettered his performance in the men's modern pentathlon event, finishing in ninth place with a score of 5,276 points. Iagorashvili received a master's degree in physical education from Georgia Institute of Physical Cultures and Sport in Tbilisi, in 1985. Iagorashvili is currently coaching both men's and women's fencing teams at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

University Park, Pennsylvania Penn State University Park, also referred to as University Park, is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in both State College and College Township, both in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post off ...

. He is married to American modern pentathlete, Mary Beth Iagorashvili.

References

External links

Profile – Penn State Athletic Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iagorashvili, Vakhtang 1964 births Living people Soviet male modern pentathletes Male modern pentathletes from Georgia (country) American male modern pentathletes Olympic modern pentathletes for the Soviet Union Olympic modern pentathletes for Georgia (country) Olympic modern pentathletes for the United States Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon Modern pentathletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1996 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Tbilisi Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in modern pentathlon Modern pentathletes at the 2003 Pan American Games Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen