Medals shared among the nations at IJF Tbilisi Grand Prix

Friday’s opening day saw France’s Melanie Clement produce a fine performance in the -48kg final to defeat Ukraine’s Daria Bilodid, judo’s youngest world champion.

The world number 15 scored twice without reply to record her first Grand Prix victory, in doing so upsetting the 18-year-old prodigy and ending the teenager’s 38-fight winning-streak. The reigning senior and junior world champion, who was competing for the first time since October, was thrown for a waza-ari with a o-osoto-gari and was then rolled over in the closing seconds for a second and match-winning waza-ari.

Italy’s Odette Giuffrida defeated Israel’s Gili Cohen to win -52kg gold. Both judoka had struck Grand Prix gold in Tbilisi, Giuffrida in 2016 and Cohen in 2014 with the latter most recently also winning gold at the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam a fortnight ago. However on this occasion it was Olympic silver medallist Giuffrida who caught Cohen with ashi-waza as a de-ashi-barai earned a second and match-winning waza-ari.

There was a fifth Grand Prix success for Kosovo’s Nora Gjakova in the -57kg Final with a win against Olympic champion Rafaela Silva of Brazil. World Judo Masters silver medallist Gjakova celebrated after Silva was guilty of a bear hug in golden score and received her third shido and was disqualified.

In the men’s competitions on the first day, Georgia’s Lukhumi Chkhvimiani won his home Grand Prix for the third year in a row as he beat European champion Walide Kyhar of France in the -60kg final. The Georgian showed his superiority on home soil as he beat the Frenchman by rolling him over for a waza-ari score which was the only score in the men’s lightest final.

Israel’s Tal Flicker was made to grind out a win in the -66kg final as he met a determined opponent on home soil in the shape of Giorgi Tutashvili. A waza-ari for Flicker was the difference after four minutes after an exciting final against the unranked Georgian who impressed on making his IJF World Judo Tour debut.

Saturday second day of action saw two gold medals for The Netherlands whilst there was also a first gold medal for Portugal.

The first came in the women’s -63kg Final as Sanne Vermeer earned her first senior IJF gold medal with a win over teammate Geke Van Der Berg. Vermeer opened the scoring with a waza-ari and held down her international colleague for 10 seconds to wrap up gold in just 42 seconds.

Portugal’s Barbara Timo continued her fine form as she defeated Olympic bronze medallist Laura Vargas Koch of Germany in golden score to win the -70kg Final. Timo, who switched allegiance from Brazil to Portugal in January, outfought four-time Grand Prix winner Vargas Koch in golden score with the German judoka receiving her marching orders for her third shido.

The Netherlands’ second gold on Saturday came in the -81kg Final as World number three Frank De Wit beats German outsider Timo Cavelius. Two-time Grand Slam winner De Wit claimed his maiden Grand Prix title in golden score when first-time IJF finalist Cavelius was dismissed for a false attack which was his third shido.

World number 43 Guillaume Chaine of France was a worthy but unexpected winner of the -73kg title as he edged past Magdiel Estrada of Cuba. Chaine won his first IJF World Judo Tour gold medal by scoring an o-uchi-gari after 29 seconds for a waza-ari and Estrada failed to impose himself in his first IJF final.
Sunday’s third and final day saw Kosovo make it a 100% golden weekend and the hosts win the men’s heavyweight competition.

Kosovo’s Loriana Kuka gave her country their second gold medal from their two-strong team in Tbilisi with victory in the women’s -78kg category. Kuka, the world number 16 who only made her Grand Prix debut a year ago, scored twice against Kaliema Antomarchi of Cuba to land the top honour.
French outsider Julia Tolofua was the surprise heavyweight winner on the in the +78kg competition, defeating world number nine Beatriz Souza of Brazil. In her first IJF final Tolofua took the contest to the Brazilian who was thrown with an o-soto-gari for a waza-ari score for the only score of the contest.

In the men’s -90kg Final, Cuba’s Ivan Felipe Silva Morales clinched his third Grand Prix gold medal by beating Giorgi Papunashvili. The Cuban star wrapped his left leg around his Georgian opponent and on the edge of the area for a waza-ari score to win gold. For Papunashvili it was a second consecutive silver medal on home soil as he noticeably tired in golden score in contrast to Silva Morales who still looked fresh and pushed the pace.

Kazbek Zankishiev of Russia won his country’s first and only gold medal in Tbilisi as he prevailed in the -100kg Final against Brazil’s Buzacarini. The Brazilian had never won an IJF gold medal and will have to fight another day after picking up three shidos to gift the gold medal to the Russian who now has a hat-trick of Grand Prix titles.

In the +100kg gold medal decider, Levani Matiashvili won his home Grand Prix for the second time in his career to end the Tbilisi tournament with heavyweight gold for the hosts. The Georgian repeated his 2015 Tbilisi win by dispatching Belarussian Aliaksandr Vakhaviak with a makikomi after four minutes of golden score.

The next IJF event to look forward to is the Antalya Grand Prix in Turkey this weekend from 5 to 7 April.