Irakli Goginashvili is one of Great Britain’s most promising young judoka, a name that has steadily grown louder across European tatami over the past year. In 2025, he carved his place into British judo history by becoming the first athlete from the nation in 25 years to claim a junior European title. A month later, he added a junior world bronze medal to his résumé, before earning one of SportsAid’s most prestigious honours, the One-to-Watch Award, becoming the first judoka to receive it.
Yet behind the medals and recognition stands a young athlete still chasing growth, still learning and still driven by the same wide-eyed passion that first pulled him into the sport.
This season began where many ambitious careers quietly take shape, at the Mittersill Olympic Training Camp. For Goginashvili, it was his second visit but the experience felt different this time. The Austrian mountains have a way of stripping away comfort zones; on those mats, junior and senior boundaries blur and reputations mean little once the randori begins.
“That is [Mittersill 2025] where I saw myself that I could go to any podium,” he explains, reflecting on the moment confidence shifted into belief. “Fighting with the elite, giving them good randori… I showed myself that I can do anything I want. I can medal anywhere and it was a really big motivation for me.”
Looking back on his breakthrough season, he admits that reflection is unavoidable. The long camps, the sacrifices, the relentless preparation, all pieces of a puzzle that came together at the right time.
“Of course I looked back,” he says. “How can you not after such hard training and such hard work? The Benidorm camp was the one that really got me into good shape. OTCs are incredibly beneficial. I think it is impossible to have a big career without them because you mix with all the countries, all the different styles and types of fighters. It is really the only place you can do that.”
Still competing as a junior, Goginashvili speaks with an awareness that many athletes only develop years later. He watches closely, studies the details, absorbs the atmosphere around the sport’s biggest names.
“Mixing with the elite as a junior gives so much growth,” he says. “Even just watching someone like [Manuel] Lombardo and [Hidayat] Heydarov fight each other, it is really special. You can learn so much just by watching those randori.”
Now, that journey has brought him to a moment he once only imagined from the stands, his debut at one of judo’s most iconic stages, the Paris Grand Slam. For many athletes, Paris is more than a competition; it is a test of presence, resilience and belonging. The roar of the Accor Arena crowd has shaped countless careers, turning dreams into defining chapters.
For Goginashvili, the connection to Paris runs deeper. “The first time I watched this event was in 2017,” he recalls, smiling at the memory. “Someone took me there and from that day I wanted to come back. The atmosphere, the French cheering, it is incredible. Even then, my dream was not just to watch but to fight there. Now that dream is coming true.”
His voice softens slightly when he speaks about the moment he will step onto the mat. “I am very, very honoured to fight at the Paris Grand Slam because it is one of the toughest Grand Slams. I am excited. I can’t even describe it. Words can’t describe that feeling.”
Amid the pressure and anticipation, one constant remains: family. Through every training camp, every medal and every setback, they have been his anchor. In Paris, they will once again be in the stands, this time watching a different chapter unfold, no longer a young spectator dreaming of the spotlight but an athlete stepping directly into it.
From the stands to the mat, Goginashvili’s story feels like it has come full circle. Yet, as the tatami lights up and the crowd begins to rise, it is clear that this is not a finish line, only the beginning of a much larger journey.
Watch the young and talented British judoka take to the mat at the Accor Arena on Saturday, 7 February, live on JudoTV.com.
Author: Szandra Szogedi