In previous years we have hailed the rivalry of Tato GRIGALASHVILI (GEO) and Matthias CASSE (BEL) which again we saw on day four of the World Judo Championships 2025, only this time in a brutal quarter final with Casse looking on better form than he had in previous head to heads, this time it felt much closer. Unfortunately it was decided on shidos despite close scores, and the win was for the Georgian athlete.
This ensured his place in the semi final against Zelim TCKAEV (AZE), a scrambling contest which found him taking two yuko scores to win and place himself in his fifth World final to defend his title for the fourth consecutive year.
Now comes the new rivalry. The emergence of young talent, Timur ARBUZOV (IJF) has been a focal point since the 2024 World Championships where he lost to Grigalashvili in the final. However in the European Championships, Arbuzov had an answer for him and let the record be 1:1.
Both judoka had been on top form throughout the day, performing in grandstanding fashion, truly a delight for the judo community. It was clearly a frustrating contest for Grigalashvili who was having to leave the tatami on a number of occasions for medical treatment due to a nasty injury he had picked up earlier in the day against Casse.
Eventually, after almost four minutes of golden score, Arbuzov took the world title. It was the end of a three-year reign for Grigalashvili, but this incredible rivalry is far from over and he continues to be one of the most exciting judoka on the circuit.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen