Europe takes over Saturday in Tbilisi as men deliver late drama and clean finishes

Day two of the Tbilisi Grand Slam 2026 felt like a shift in power. After Europe’s strong women’s podiums on day one, Saturday, 21 March belonged to the men in particular, with European athletes repeatedly taking control when it mattered most. By the end of the day, Europe had collected 13 of the 16 medals available.

At -63 kg, the European story came through the bronze fights. Gaëtane Deberdt (FRA) pushed hard against Kaja Kajzer (SLO) but couldn’t break the defence and was eventually countered, leaving Kajzer with the medal. In the second bronze contest, Iva Oberan (CRO) and Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL) looked headed for golden score—until Oberan struck late for yuko and secured her place on the podium.

A single opening in the final seconds was all Oberan needed.

The final had big-name energy: world champions Haruka Kaju (JPN) and Joanne Van Lieshout (NED). Van Lieshout picked up an early shido for stepping outside, then another for passivity, and the pressure never really lifted. A third shido in the closing phase decided it, giving Kaju the title and extending her run of gold medals across IJF and continental appearances.

In -73 kg, Europe’s depth was everywhere. Giorgi Loladze (GEO) turned his bronze match against Muhammad Demirel (TUR) with the crowd behind him, finishing with a powerful lifting action for ippon. Hidayat Heydarov (AZE) battled through a demanding contest with Anton Shuhalieiev (ESP) to claim the other bronze. Then came a final that showcased control rather than chaos: Leonardo Valeriani (ITA) vs Valtteri Olin (FIN). The turning point was on the ground—Valeriani linked a juji-gatame attempt into osae-komi, then returned to the arm to force submission and take gold.

Valeriani’s newaza sequence was pure clarity under pressure.

At -70 kg, the bracket delivered surprises early with top seed Lara Cvjetko (CRO) going out. Ida Eriksson (SWE) stayed composed to win a long, tactical bronze fight against Tais Pina (POR). The other bronze went to Shiho Tanaka (JPN) over Aleksandra Andric (SRB). In the final, Madina Taimazova (RUS) scored yuko with a backward-driven seoi-otoshi and managed the remainder against Aoife Coughlan (AUS).

The -81 kg final brought the day’s most dramatic twist. Mihajlo Simin (SRB) earned bronze with a well-timed ko-uchi-gari for yuko against Timo Cavelius (GER). Matthias Casse (BEL) took bronze too, breaking through with kata-guruma—first called ippon, then reduced to waza-ari—before controlling the rest. In the title match, Mykhailo Svidrak (UKR) led for nearly four minutes, but Vedat Albayrak (TUR) found a last-second waza-ari to steal gold.

In the medal table, Israel leads with two gold, one silver and one bronze, followed by Russia, with France in third. The final day is next on JudoTV.

Source: EJU_News