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On her third attempt in the Tbilisi Grand Slam, 20 year-old Nino LOLADZE (GEO) fought her way to a place on the podium, the perfect place to secure her first IJF World Judo Tour medal. Loladze demonstrated the typical Georgian style throughout her preliminaries, huge throws throughout, only losing out to Paris Grand Slam winner, Martha FAWAZ (FRA) in the semi final.
Making a comeback after a semi final loss can be difficult, but Loladze gave everything she had against Pauline STARKE (GER), and with that took Starke down for ippon, throwing with tani otoshi. It was an emotional moment for the rising star of the women’s Georgian team, following in the footsteps of her team mate, and eventual gold medallist, Eteri LIPARTELIANI.
Liparteliani came in to the tournament, defending her 2024 title win in a memorable year where she left the tatami with a gold medal, and walked on to a marriage proposal! Now husband Temur NOZADZE had just taken the silver medal before this category stepped to the tatami.
Fawaz broke the ice in the first exchange, scoring yuko with uchi mata, and then again with osoto gaeshi. Things weren’t looking good for Liparteliani managed a waza ari score after this, all within the first half of the contest, but it was motivation for the Georgian, who levelled the waza ari score with a huge ouchi gari. As the pair entered the final minute, a ura nage scored yuko, now trailing by only one yuko score, the crowd were pushing her on. In an incredible comeback, Liparteliani took another yuko score, evening the playing field with less than 20 seconds left on the clock, she hooked in for ouchi gari, driving to score a third, deciding yuko for the gold medal. Nothing short of sensational.
Only missing out on a gold medal in the -48kg category, which was taken by GANBAATAR Narantsetseg (MGL), France took top spots on the -60kg and -52kg podium with Luka MKHEIDZE and Amandine BUCHARD, and in the -66kg, Abrek NAGUCHEV (IJF).
Mkheidze countered a low seoi otoshi from Michel AUGUSTO (BRA) deep in to golden score to secure his first medal in Tbilisi. This is his first outing since the Olympic Games in Paris, and starting with a gold medal win was definitely what he needed. Naguchev was dominant in the -66kg final against Nozadze, delivering an onslaught of ashi waza techniques, before finally claiming the gold medal.
In the -52kg category, Buchard wasted little time in her final against Gefen PRIMO (ISR), after the Israeli over stretched for a ko soto motion, Buchard countered, driving her opponent down for ippon in just over one minute. Again, this is a first time competing in Tbilisi for Buchard, but incredibly, in the 17 Grand Slams she has competed in, it was only her first in 2013, that she did not leave with a medal. Congratulations on consecutive medal #16 Amandine!
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen