A Counter Decides Grigalashvili’s Fourth World Gold

Tato Grigalashvili of Georgia secured his fourth world title in the -81 kg category after a demanding final against Azerbaijan’s Zelim Tckaev. The contest at the World Championships stretched deep into golden score before a decisive Waza-ari settled an intense battle.

Tckaev, backed by the home crowd inside the National Gymnastics Arena, had worked hard to reach the final. But Grigalashvili brought the experience of five previous world championship finals and showed once again why he remains one of Judo’s leading -81 kg athletes.

Neither judoka gave much away in regular time. The final was shaped by gripping exchanges, attacks, counters and a growing number of Shido penalties, with both athletes under constant pressure to find a clean score. Supporters from Georgia and Azerbaijan filled the arena with noise as the contest moved into golden score.

The breakthrough came after almost ten minutes, when Grigalashvili scored Waza-ari with a counter. The score was reviewed carefully on video before being confirmed, ending a final in which neither athlete had held back.

Grigalashvili’s counter brought a long and tense final to its decisive moment.

The Georgian explained that the title followed an important three-month preparation period, during which his team had to adapt after the departure of its head coach. He credited the work of his new team, personal coaches and those around him for helping him reach the same goal once more.

Tckaev took silver, earning another major medal but missing out on his first world gold. His performance in front of the Azerbaijani public kept the final competitive until the last decisive exchange.

The bronze medal contests also delivered major moments for European athletes. Azerbaijan’s Omar Rajabli recovered after Kazakhstan’s Abylaikhan Zhubanazar scored an early Yuko. Rajabli answered with Ko-uchi-gari before controlling the ground exchange for Osaekomi and Ippon, drawing an emotional reaction from the home crowd.

Serbia’s Mihajlo Simin claimed the other bronze with a late turnaround against Joonhwan Lee of Korea. Lee scored first, but the 21-year-old Simin kept pushing and levelled the contest with a powerful O-uchi-gari for Yuko. With only four seconds remaining, Simin threw Lee for Waza-ari with O-soto-gari to secure a place on the world championship podium.

Grigalashvili topped the -81 kg standings, followed by Tckaev, Rajabli and Simin. Slovenia’s Nace Herkovic and Belgium’s Matthias Casse finished seventh.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation