A 23-second Golden Score twist: Maisuradze seals his second European crown as Creț and Ngayap Hambou take bronze

The -90 kg final in Georgia had the kind of tension that makes you forget to breathe. Luka Maisuradze carried the weight of a home crowd that wanted a moment to remember, and he delivered: a second European title, secured against Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov after a gritty Golden Score battle.

Maisuradze’s run to the final was built on control and confidence. He beat Romania’s Alex Creț in the semi-final and had already moved past Ivaylo Ivanov earlier in the day. On the other side of the draw, Majdov—European champion in 2023—ended the hosts’ hope of an all-Georgia final by defeating Lasha Bekauri in the semi-final.

In the gold medal match, neither athlete gave an inch in regular time. Both picked up a Shido, the pace stayed tactical, and the deadlock wouldn’t break. Then Golden Score arrived and, almost instantly, the story flipped: after just 23 seconds, Maisuradze hit a sharp de ashi barai to decide the contest. Majdov appeared to pick up an injury in the exchange, and the Georgian’s victory was confirmed.

One clean de ashi barai turned a chess match into a title.

Maisuradze’s latest gold adds to his 2022 triumph and underlines years of consistency, with previous European bronzes in 2019 and 2020. Behind him, two European podium performances stood out. Creț claimed bronze again, repeating his 2024 result and reinforcing his status among the division’s key names. France’s Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou produced one of the day’s surprises, beating the injured Bekauri after taking a Waza-ari lead and finishing with harai maki komi.

The message from -90 kg was clear: Europe remains deep and unpredictable here, even if the wider international picture has shifted toward Japan’s current dominance.

Source: JudoInside