The most striking: Russia has returned to the elite of judo

The European Judo Championship in Tbilisi was not just a successful start of a new Olympic cycle for the Russian national team, but a confirmation of the team's return to the ranks of the continent's leaders. In the capital of Georgia, where the fights were held with the active support of the local stands, the Russian athletes confidently completed the tournament distance and climbed the podium seven times. Two gold, silver and four bronze medals won in four days ensured the team's third place in the overall standings with 158 points, ahead of only the national teams of France and Georgia.

The triumph of Chopanov and Arbuzov

The first day of the tournament immediately marked the high level of claims of the Russian team. The main character of Thursday was Murad Chopanov. In the weight category up to 66 kg, the 27-year-old Russian entered the tatami with the intention to take revenge for last year's defeat in the final.

The tournament grid did not promise an easy ride: in the first round, Chopanov missed an unexpected attack, but quickly seized the initiative and confidently dealt with his opponent from Portugal. Then, in the quarterfinals, he defeated Azerbaijani Turan Bayramov, and in the semifinals, he defeated Frenchman Walid Khyar— the champion of the 2024 Olympic team tournament.

The final battle against the world ranking leader Luukas Sakhi from Finland turned out to be intense and tactically difficult. The main time ended without scores, and the fate of the gold was decided by golden Score — extra time, in which every mistake could be decisive. After several minutes of hard fighting, Chopanov made an effective move and secured the victory.

— Last year's silver medal was hard for me, and when I reached the finals today, I had only a gold medal in my mind, — Chopanov admitted.

The athlete dedicated the victory to his native Dagestan, which suffered from devastating floods.

On the same day, Sabina Gilyazova confidently passed the tournament distance in the women's lightest weight category up to 48 kg due to her high seeding number and reached the final against French athlete Shirin Boucli. The Olympic champion of Paris confirmed her status as the favorite, and the Russian won the silver medal.

"I fought as hard as I could, I wanted to take revenge on Hedwig, but it didn't work out a bit," the Russian athlete admitted after the final.

Marina Vorobyeva took the third step of the podium in the same weight class, bringing the national team the first medal of the tournament — bronze. In a duel against Spaniard Eva Perez Soler, the Russian acted confidently and did not leave her opponent a chance.

But the main sensation of Saturday, of course, happened in the category up to 81 kg, where 22-year-old Timur Arbuzov came out to defend the title of European champion and the status of the first number of the world ranking. A year ago, this guy had already blown up the world of judo, winning first the continental championship and then the World Championship. The final against Tato Grigalashvili initially looked like a David and Goliath battle: the Georgian had the experience of a three-time world and European champion on his side, the fierce support of his native stands and the status of a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics. However, what happened on the tatami mat froze even the most devoted Georgian fans.

Arbuzov had perhaps the best ending in his so—far short career: three attacks - three effective shots, each of which brought a clean score. Grigalashvili, the winner of six continental silver medals, simply did not find the answer to the speed and tactical skills of the Russian. After the victory, Timur admitted that the noise of the stands booing the Russian anthem during the award ceremony was just an additional "fuel" for him.

— I was preparing for a long fight, but it turned out to be fast, — said Arbuzov.

This triumph made him a two-time European champion and finally cemented his status as Russia's main hope for Olympic gold in Los Angeles 2028.

Without Bashaev, but with Timazova

On the same day that Arbuzov stormed to the top in the men's draw, one of the most decorated judoka in the country, 26—year-old Madina Taymazova, took to the tatami in the up to 70 kg category. The winner of the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and a two-time medalist at the World Championships, she traveled to Tbilisi with the firm intention of adding gold to her collection, but the path to the finals was blocked by Frenchwoman Melkia Oshkorn. In the small final against the Greek Elisaveta Teltsidou, Madina came out with the expression of a person who does not lose twice a day. She acted harshly, aggressively and extremely collected, carrying out several dangerous attacks in the main time and not giving her opponent a single chance to counterattack, which deservedly won bronze.

The final day of the tournament brought two more bronze medals to the national team, both in the category up to 100 kg. A real internal drama played out here: two Russians, world champion Arman Adamyan and European Youth champion Niyaz Bilalov, met in the small final. The experience and composure of Adamyan, who rose to the podium of the European Championship for the first time in his career, prevailed over Bilalov's pressure. This "Russian final", albeit only for the third place, was a vivid demonstration of the depth of the national team.

Unfortunately, in the women's category up to 78 kg, it was not possible to repeat the success of colleagues: Alexandra Babintseva lost to Slovakia's Mark Lobnik in the fight for bronze, remaining one step away from the medal.

As for the heavyweights, there was an unfortunate loss: Olympic bronze medalist Tamerlan Bashayev, who had high hopes in the over 100 kg category, was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a hand injury sustained in training.

The European Championship in Tbilisi has become more than just another line in the calendar. And even though the team lost to the French and the hosts in the medal standings, the fact that the Russian national anthem was played several times under the arches of the Tbilisi Olympic Palace, despite the whistling and rumbling, speaks for itself. With their performance, the Russian judoka gave exactly this, the most convincing answer. With such an attitude and such young people as Arbuzov, one can be absolutely calm about the future of domestic judo.