In the high-altitude embrace of Andorra, amidst the cheers of small nations dreaming big, an 18-year-old Icelandic judoka delivered a long-waited effort for his nation. Adalsteinn Bjornsson, calm and composed beyond his years, claimed the gold medal in the -90kg category at the Games of the Small States of Europe 2025, and with it, showed off the development in Icelandic judo.
“I feel very good, you know,” he said moments after his final bout. “I wasn’t really expecting this, so I am very happy with the day. I couldn’t be happier.” Though not the favourite going in, Adalsteinn’s performance was defined by discipline and quiet resilience. “I wanted gold, of course but I wasn’t the favourite. Nobody expected me to win. I had to stay mentally strong.”
He did just that. His road to gold began with an emotionally difficult draw: an opening contest against a fellow Icelander and close friend. “I didn’t like it,” he admitted. “We are very good friends, and I never enjoy fighting him in competition. So no, it wasn’t a nice way to start even though it was a good fight for me, I felt very bad for him.”
From there, the bouts grew tougher. In the final, Adalsteinn faced a seasoned opponent, ten years his senior, a challenge that would unnerve most teenagers…, clearly not Adalsteinn. “I knew him. We have trained together at camps, so I knew I could beat him but I had to fight well and stay strong mentally. After my second fight, due to the round-robin system, I knew I had at least bronze but I had to block that out and focus. I had either silver or gold ahead of me, so I needed to keep my mindset right.”
His composure paid off, and the victory marked Iceland’s first judo gold at the GSSE in eight years. Born and raised in Iceland, “Pure Icelandic,” as he puts it, Adalsteinn also draws inspiration from his experience in Georgia. “I went last year, it was amazing. Beautiful country, lovely people, and the food is fantastic.”
Following the completion of the GSSE, Adalsteinn’s ambitions are clear and unshakably bold.“I want to go to the Olympics in 2028 of course, but first, the next step is the Junior European Championships in September. This is just the beginning. It’s not my end goal. It’s important to me, yes but I will do bigger things. I will win bigger medals.”
As Adalsteinn stood atop the podium with gold around his neck, one figure watched on with quiet pride, his coach, Zaza Simonishvili. A Georgian transplant who moved to Iceland four years ago, Zaza has played a crucial role in not only shaping Adalsteinn’s judo but in bringing a new energy to Icelandic judo as a whole. Relocating to the Nordic chill came with its fair share of adjustments.
“To be honest, the biggest challenge was the weather, it is so cold in Iceland,” he laughed. “But somehow we survived.” The culture was different too, but Zaza found a way in, through judo and friendship. “It is really a different culture than in Georgia but I got Georgian friends there very quickly, and that made my life easier, and judo helped me too, with judo people, we always get a good connection to each other. It helped me get friendly with this country.”
When asked if he saw Adalsteinn’s potential from the start, Zaza’s answer was humble. “Actually, when I started coaching, he was a little bit crazy,” he said, smiling. “Always doing some wild things. He didn’t have a special talent, to be honest but the most important talent he did have was that he worked hard, and still does. Really hard. He also works smart. That is his secret. That’s why he is becoming good.”
This gold medal was the result of that discipline and drive and Zaza knows it wasn’t earned alone. “I feel very proud, very good, because he worked hard for this and this work paid back, for him, for me, for our judo club, and for our federation. When I see Icelandic people proud of him, his parents, everyone around, it makes me even happier. It feels like I did something meaningful.”
Zaza hasn’t just brought motivation to Iceland he’s also brought technique. The Georgian judo style, with its aggressive and dynamic flair, has found a home in the far north. “Our style is different and this is what we know very well,” Zaza explained. “He [Adalsteinn] is for example, one of the guys who really likes this Georgian style, this fighting. He loves it, follows it, and he’s progressed a lot. That style gives an advantage and the results are coming.”
The Icelandic judo team at the GSSE 2025 may be small, but under Zaza’s guidance, it’s gaining momentum. “We don’t have a super strong team yet, in fact we have a very young team. The oldest competitor is 22. Most are cadets or at the start of juniors, like him [pointing to Adalsteinn], but we have seen what we need to improve. We had athletes in the final block and we still have the team competition. It is not over yet.” Still, for Zaza, what matters most is the long-term view. “We have to continue to work hard. We still need to improve a lot,” he said, before repeating the words that now define the team’s journey: “It’s just the beginning.”
Author: Szandra Szogedi