Judo: Lasha Shavdatuashvili is European Champion #1TVSPORT

17:18, 17.04.2026

Lasha Shavdatuashvili crowned the European Championships currently underway in Tbilisi by claiming victory in the under-73 kg category. He defeated Azerbaijan’s Hidayat Heydarov in the final to become European champion for the second time.

True to the nature of a final, the contest was one of extraordinary tension and went to golden score overtime. The two judokas battled for a full ten minutes without either man managing to score, before Shavdatuashvili forced three penalties against his opponent to earn the gold medal by shido.

His trophy cabinet now boasts Olympic, World, and European Championship gold medals, the latter won twice.

It is worth noting that just minutes earlier, Eter Liparteliani was also crowned European champion.

By - Svetlana Alimova

Judo

Sport

European Champion

Georgian national judo team

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