The Georgian Dream: which of our judoists can take medals of the European Championship in Tbilisi

Tbilisi will host the European Judo Championships from April 16 to 19. 406 athletes from 46 countries will take part in it. In four days, 14 sets of individual awards will be played on the tatami. Our national team is also in action, which has arrived in the capital of Georgia in an optimal composition and will perform with a flag and anthem. The athletes will try to repeat the success of last year's European Championship, which they won in the team competition, winning seven medals.

The main hopes

A year ago, at the European Championships in Montenegro, our athletes, who competed in a neutral status, took three gold, three silver and a bronze, confidently winning the team competition. Now that the abbreviation AIN has disappeared from the uniform, and the tricolor has returned to the chest, the motivation of the team, according to the judoists themselves, has increased significantly. The coaching staff has decided on the composition: all seven women's weight categories and five men's are closed (without representation — weights up to 60 and up to 73 kg).

— The European Championship in Tbilisi is a responsible start, and at the same time an important stage of preparation for the main tournament of the year — the World Cup, — the coach of the national team Murat Khabachirov told Izvestia. — Judo is a very competitive sport. To participate in the World Cup, it is not enough for an athlete to win the national championship. You need to perform well in qualifying competitions, score ranking points and get into the top 100. Abdullah Parchiev is a good example for everyone. He was a prize-winner of the country's junior championship, got a chance to compete in an international tournament and successfully implemented it, achieving bronze at the Grand Slam in Uzbekistan. He is only 18 years old, but he will fight in Tbilisi. We hope that his debut will be successful.

For men, the main striking force is concentrated in heavy weights. Tamerlan Bashayev, the bronze medalist of the Tokyo Olympics, will take to the mat in the over 100 kg category with the obvious intention of making himself known as one of the strongest heavyweights on the continent. He will be accompanied by Arman Adamyan, the world and European champion in the weight class up to 100 kg, for whom the current tournament is an opportunity to consolidate his reputation as the undisputed leader of his division.

In the women's part of the application, special attention is focused on Madina Taymazova, who has won medals at all the major competitions on the planet, from the Olympic Games to world and European forums. She will compete in the up to 70 kg category and is rightfully considered one of the favorites. Sabina Gilyazova, a two-time bronze medalist at the European Championships in the weight class up to 48 kg, has no less ambitions. On the eve of her flight to Georgia, she did not hide her emotions.

"This is an important start, very significant and high—status," she told Izvestia. — For me, this is an opportunity to show my level, test my form before the World Championships and, of course, do everything possible to win a gold medal.

All the tops have arrived in Tbilisi

At the European Championships in Tbilisi, Russian judo will not only test its competitiveness against the strongest rivals, but also finalize its return to the world elite.

The competition promises to be very serious. The owners of the tatami have fielded a full squad of 18 judoka, and the main hope of the Georgian stands is world champion Eteri Liparteliani in the category up to 57 kg.

— Of course, the Georgian national team will be as charged as possible at home, — Vitaly Makarov, the head of the coaching staff of our team, told the official website of the Russian Judo Federation. — Our team is no less motivated, because this championship is the first in several years where the national team will compete under the Russian tricolor. And every Russian athlete will do everything in his power and even more so that the anthem of our Motherland will be played in Tbilisi.

According to the coach, the squad is balanced. There are experienced athletes who have already established themselves internationally, and there are those for whom the World Cup in Tbilisi will be an important career milestone, an opportunity to gain the necessary experience.

— If we talk about expectations, then, of course, it is especially interesting for us to look at the women's team. Last year, the girls had only one bronze medal for Alice Startseva, and now it's important to see how our athletes have improved," Makarov said. — The men's team is traditionally strong, stable and efficient. At the same time, we do not set the task of necessarily repeating the result-2025 — then our team became the best at the European Championship in Podgorica. Of course, if it works out, it will be nice.

In the heavyweight division, a living legend will appear on the carpet — Czech Lukas Krpalek, a two-time Olympic champion, whose presence in itself raises the status of the tournament to the elite. The Italian national team brought Olympic champion Alice Bellandi and current world champion Assunta Sciutto. In the category up to 52 kg, the main star is Nastya Krasniki from Kosovo, who is aiming for her fourth European champion title in her career.

Russian fans will be able to watch all the fights live on Match TV.