The IJF’s tournament in Tbilisi continues with some spectacular bouts of judo. In the under ninety kilo class teenage sensation Beka Gviniashvili
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The IJF’s tournament in Tbilisi continues with some spectacular bouts of judo.
In the under ninety kilo class teenage sensation Beka Gviniashvili from Georgia continued to show his maturity by beating world number one and teammate Varlam Liparteliani in the final.
It was the latter’s first defeat at the hands of the former at an international event after having beaten him to win the Dussledorf Grand Prix semi-finals.
Georgian fighters were to the fore at the meeting, with in another final
in the heavyweight division Levani Matiashvili getting the better of the deputy European champion Adam Okruashvili.
In the under 100 kilo class Azerbaijan’s Elmar Gasimov reigned supreme as he beat Olympic bronze medallist Dimitri Peters.
On the way to the title he beat former world champion and fellow Azeri Elkhan Mammadov in one of the tournament’s most awaited bouts, forcing the former champion out of the ring from injury.
In the women’s competition America’s olympic champion Kayla Harrison won in the under 78-kilo class by beating France’s Audrey Tcheumeo, making her return from injury.
Harrison won by an ippon, just like in all her fights as she maintained a spotless, penalty-free record.
China only had one woman in Tbilisi, in the over 78-kilo category, and world number five Yu Song made her journey count by overcoming the world number 12 Svitlana Aromka from Ukraine.