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With the five remaining categories competing for gold on day three of the Tbilisi Grand Slam 2025, there was slight disappointment for the hosts who didn’t manage to hear their anthem, though they still acquired three medals; Giorgi JABNIASHVILI (bronze, -90kg), Irakli DEMETRASHVILI (bronze, +100kg) and Guram TUSHISHVILI (silver, +100kg). The latter was the absolute final contest of the event and it was a big one against Inal TASOEV (IJF).
The pair have faced each other six times now, only on the first occasion in the 2019 European Games in Minsk did Tushishvili take the win, and since then, favour has lay with Tasoev. Today, momentum seemed to be going for Tushishvili, somewhat expectedly in front of the home crowd, but again it was Tasoev that managed to pull in the score, a yuko with the landing only on the top of the shoulder, but it was enough. Both had spectacular preliminaries and all knew it would lead to a calculated but dynamic final as always, and the crowd weren’t left disappointed.
Over the course of two and a half years, Metka LOBNIK (SLO) has been battling to take a podium place in a grand slam event, coming close on three occasions with fifth place finishes, but today she was on a roll, and faced the current Junior World Champion, Brenda OLAYA (COL) for gold. It was a long slog for both athletes in the -78kg category but in the final seconds, Lobnik secured the osaekomi and counted down the clock, not just to her first grand slam medal, but a title.
There were some big surprises on day three for the hosts, seeing early exits from Luka MAISURADZE (-90kg) and Ilia SULAMANIDZE (-100kg), but this worked out nicely for those coming behind them. In the -100kg category, it was the day for Anton SAVYTSKIY (UKR). Similarly to Lobnik, Savytskiy has been long chasing a grand slam medal, and today trumped all other possibilities with the gold medal, defeating Simeon CATHARINA (NED) in golden score. The Dutch athlete found himself in a clinch and attempted an escape with sasae tsuri komi ashi but Savytskiy was too strong and handled him to the ground, sticking in with the osaekomi for only 5 seconds to take the yuko score and the win.
Top seed of the +78kg category, Romane DICKO (FRA) found France another gold medal, showing her class throughout the preliminaries, and finishing in a graceful manner in her final against Elis STARTSEVA (IJF). It was a beautiful wheeling harai makikomi that scored the waza ari in the opening minute, and keeping her grip, she simply moved in to the osae komi to conclude her first outing in Tbilisi.
Rounding off an incredibly exciting three-day event in the Georgian capital, and arguably one of the strongest judo nations in the world, it was France who topped the medal table, followed by hosts Georgia, and the IJF representatives in third. Not only will we be back for the Grand Slam event in 2026, but following the signing this week, we can look forward to the 2026 Senior European Championships as well!
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen