Georgian national judo men team won 6 medals from 10 chances at Baku Grand Prix and took the fourth place among other team participants. Nothing can be said, it is quite a good result. Especially when the team arrived in Baku with none-optimal staff, but according to other 12 participant countries’ weak staffs, nothing is to be proud of with.
The most newsworthy is success of women’s team. Irine Leonidze (heavy weight), who beat Azetbaijani Vafa Ibadova and Croatian Ivana Maranic, became champion and earned 200 ranking points.
In total result, Leonidze’s gold medal brought the third place to Georgian team. As for men team, Ieri Jikurauli’s sportsmen won 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Today Lasha Zurabiani (81kg), Zviad Gogochuri (90kg), Beka Berdzenishvili and Aleksandrre Mskhaladze (both of them 100 kg) wrestled and all of them succeeded. Zurabiani and Mskhaladze won one match and it was necessary for their success, because they started the tournament from the quarter-final. Zurabiani beat No. 1 seed Aljaz Sedej, but in semi-final lost with Ukrainian Vitaly Popovic and as a result won bronze medal. As for Mskhaladze, he managed to beat Azerbaijani Alikhan Hasanov before losing with Azerbaijani Elkhan Mamadov.
Gogochuri also took the third place, but he started competition in the 1/8final. After beating Azerbaijani Elkhan Rajably and Ukrainian Satanislav Retinsky, he could not manage to beat Azerbaijani Ramin Gurbanov and go through the final.
Berdzenishvili was very close to championship, but he managed to win silver medal. Before final Georgian judoka beat Russian David Batiev and Ukrainian Dmitry Luchin.
Today, Shorena Sharadze (70kg) wrestled at Azerbaijani tournament, but she lost the first match- with Slovenian Rasa Sraka, No.5 seed in world ranking.
Judo
Grand Prix
Baku
May 5-6
Men
60 kg
1 Ilgar Mushkiev (Azerbaijan)
2 Giorgi Mesablishvili (Georgia)
3 Mohamed Elkavisah (Libya)
3 Orkhan Safarov (Azerbaijan)
5 Giorgi Brolashvili (Georgia)
66 kg
1 Masashi Kodera (Japan)
2 Mikhail Poliaev (Russia)
3 Tarlan Krimov (Azerbaijan)
3 Nihat Shakhalizada (Azerbaijan)
5 Shalva Kardava (Georgia)
73 kg
1 Rustam Oruzhov (Azerbaijan)
2 Miraly Sharipov (Uzbekistan)
3 Zebeda Rekhviashvili (Georgia)
3 Hasan Ilmaz (Turkey)
5 Ambako Avaliani (Georgia)
81 kg
1 Tural Safguliev (Azerbaijan)
2 Vitaly Popovich (Ukraine)
3 Lasha Zurabiani (Georgia)
3 Mamadli Mefdiev (Azerbaijan)
90 kg
1 Yuri Panasenkov (Russia)
2 Ramin Gurbanov (Azerbaijan)
3 Zviad Gogochuri (Georgia)
3 Sheraly Zhuraev (Uzbekistan)
100 kg
1 Elkhan Mamedov (Azerbaijan)
2 Beka Berdzenishvili (Georgia)
3 Aleksandre Mskhaladze (Georgia)
3 Dmitry Luchin (Ukraine)
+100 kg
1 Masaru Mamose (Japan)
2 Soslan Bostanov (Russia)
3 Andrey Patiev (Azerbaijan)
Women
48 kg
1 Ebru Shahin (Turkey)
2 Vaha Eivazova (Azerbaijan)
52 kg
1 Nodoka Tanimoto (Japan)
2 Gulshan Nazarova (Azerbaijan)
3 Turane Seidi (Azerbaijan)
57 kg
1 Kifayat Gasimova (Azerbaijan)
2 Julian Melancon (Canada)
3 Andrea Bekic (Croatia)
3 Kudret Egilmez (Turkey)
5 Mariam Janashvili (Georgia)
63 kg
1 Haruka Yasumatsu (Japan)
2 Ramila Yusubova (Azerbaijan)
3 Jema Howel (Britain)
70 kg
1 Rasa Sraka (Slovenia)
2 Christina Marianovic (Croatia)
3 Gunay Almamadly (Azerbaijan)
3 Gulnoza Matniazova (Uzbekistan)
5 Shorena Sharadze (Georgia)
78 kg
1 Gulsadaf Karimova (Azerbaijan)
2 Farida Gurbanova (Azerbaijan)
+78 kg
1 Irine Leonidze (Georgia)
2 Ivana Maranic (Croatia)
3 Gulnara Asadova (Azerbaijan)
Team result
g s b V VII
1 Azerbaijan 6 5 8 7 0
2 Japan 4 0 0 0 0
3 Georgia 1 2 4 5 0
4 Russia 1 2 0 2 0
5 Turkey 1 0 2 2 0
6 Slovenia 1 0 0 1 0
7 Croatia 0 2 1 0 0
8 Uzbekistan 0 1 2 2 0
9 Ukraine 0 1 1 6 0
10 Canada 0 1 0 0 0
Otar Maglakelidze
