Judo: Ilia Sulamanidze secures title of World Champion #1TVSPORT

Georgian jidoka Ilia Sulamanidze (100 kg) secured te title of World Champion at the 2026 World Judo Championships taking place at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, and running from October 4 to October 11.

The 25-year-old Sulamanidze defeated Japanese judo practitioner Dota Arai in the finals and claimed the gold medal at the World Championships for the first time in his career.

Ilia Sulamanidze is also a European champion and a silver medalist at the Paris Olympic Games. The Georgian athlete secured a second medal at the World Championships, having previously won bronze in 2021.

The Georgian national team has secured four medals at the ongoing World Championships: Tato Grigalashvili (81 kg) became world champion, Eter Liparteliani (57 kg) won silver, and Giorgi Sardalashvili (60 kg) claimed the bronze medal.