Top seed at -100 kg in Tbilisi was 2024 world and current Olympic champion Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE). From the beginning of day 4 at this European championships, he looked set to take the title with a set of robust wins in the early rounds. However, in his semi-final he expected to meet 2023 world champion Arman Adamian (RUS) but a convincing loss at the hands of Simeon Catharina (NED) set up a different situation.
Catharina and Kotsoiev fought dynamically from their first “hajime” but penalties rained down on them and with only 90 seconds gone there were already four on the board, a dangerous circumstance for both judoka. It was then that Kotsoiev used Catharina’a arm in an illegal way to lever him on to his back, the arm trapped behind Catharina in a painful-looking position. Kotsoiev was duly disqualified and withdrawn from the final block line-up.
On the other half of the draw, Korrel (NED) knocked out number one seed Savytskiy (UKR) and was then eliminated himself by Daniel Eich (SUI). Eich then lost the quarter-final to Italy’s Gennaro Pirelli. Pool C was wild!
In pool D, Georgia’s hero Ilia Sulamanidze began well but in the quarter-final he was caught by Niiaz Bilalov (RUS). From the unlikely line-up of Pirelli and Bilalov, it was the former who won, throwing the Russian with a kata-guruma for waza-ari in the first minute and protecting it expertly until the time ran out.
The final block competitors took their time to prepare behind the scenes; competing under the spotlights in Georgia is a massive experience, one they needed to digest ahead of their medal contests.
In the final, Gennaro Pirelli and Simeon Catharina, who shared the continental podium last year in Podgorica, each with a bronze medal, were already ahead of their best ever results at this level. It took some time to sign the top spot after a very close contest which reached deep into golden score. Eventually Catharina dropped a little off the pace and earned 3 penalties. 25-year-old Gennaro Pirelli had done it: European champion!
The first bronze medal contest was an all-Russian derby between Adamian and Bilalov and there was no indication of which way it would go. Until the halfway point it was even but in a dynamic exchange both men stood up from the floor and Adamian felt his moment to roll Bilalov. He earned himself a waza-ari, the only score to be registered during the allotted four minutes.
The second bronze medal would be staying in Georgia with Ilia Sulamanidze due to Kotsoiev’s direct hansoku-make earlier in the day.
The -100 kg category reminded everyone that anything can happen in judo, consistency is never a guaranteed commodity. Four spirited medallists finished the day on the podium, a new champion being crowned.
Author: Jo Crowley