As Europe’s best judoka prepare to take to the tatami at the upcoming European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 16-19 April, the EJU takes you through all you need to know ahead of the event.
Today’s focus: the -90kg and -70kg categories.
The -90 kg category has long been a stronghold for Georgia, with a rich legacy of Olympic, World, and European medals. That tradition looks set to continue at this year’s European Championships, where the host nation holds the top two seeds and carries high hopes for an all-Georgian final.
The reigning European champion, Christian Parlati of Italy, is not currently entered. Even so, history suggests the title is likely to change hands, as no athlete has successfully defended the European crown in this category for a decade.
Leading the field is Georgia’s double Olympic champion, Lasha Bekauri. A European champion in 2021, Bekauri has since added two Olympic titles and a mixed team World Championship gold to his résumé. Known for his all-or-nothing style, he thrives on intensity, a quality of his that is likely to be on full display competing in front of a home crowd.
Close behind him is second seed Luka Maisuradze, Georgia’s 2023 world champion, who arrives in Tbilisi in strong form following his recent Grand Slam victory. Should both men progress through the draw unscathed, a final between them would be intense, as their head-to-head record currently stands at 2–2. Winning a European title in front of the home crowd would, no doubt, be the ultimate tie breaker.
A home victory in this weight class would also be historic.
The last time a judoka won European gold on home soil in this division dates back three decades, to 1996, when Mark Huizinga triumphed in The Hague at what was then the 86 kg limit.
Beyond the top seeds, the field is rich in pedigree. France’s Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou and Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis, both Olympic bronze medallists from Paris 2024, add further depth, as does 2017 world champion Nemanja Majdov of Serbia.
Several athletes from last year’s European podium return, including Murad Fatiyev of Azerbaijan and Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Ivanov. Five of the world’s top ten-ranked competitors are set to compete, Bekauri (3rd), Maisuradze (4th), Fatiyev (5th), Majdov (7th), and Tselidis (10th), underlining the strength of the draw.
Ivanov is by far the most experienced. The 31-year-old Bulgarian made his European Championships debut in 2014 and has since collected two silver and two bronze medals. Tbilisi will mark his 13th appearance at the senior continental event.
-90kg European champions of the past ten years
2016, Kazan (RUS): Varlam Liparteliani (GEO)
2017, Warsaw (POL): Aleksandar Kukolj (SRB)
2018, Tel Aviv (ISR): Mikhail Igolnikov (RUS)
2019, Minsk (BLR): Mihael Žgank (TUR)
2020, Prague (CZE): Mikhail Igolnikov (RUS)
2021, Lisbon (POR): Lasha Bekauri (GEO)
2022, Sofia (BUL): Luka Maisuradze (GEO)
2023, Montpellier (FRA): Nemanja Majdov (SRB)
2024, Zagreb (CRO): Eljan Hajiyev (AZE)
2025, Podgorica (MNE): Christian Parlati (ITA)
-70kgs
In the -70kg category, Croatia’s Lara Cvjetko arrives as the top seed and standard-bearer of her nation’s continued strength in the category.
Two senior World Championship finals, a European bronze, five World Judo Tour gold medals in 2025, and a total of seven Grand Slam podium finishes have all propelled her to the world number one ranking.
But waiting for Cvjetko is defending champion and second seed Szofi Özbas of Hungary, who returns in top form. Since moving up from -63 kg in 2025, she has rapidly established herself in the category, collecting four Grand Slam titles, including recent victories in Paris in 2026 and Abu Dhabi in 2025.
A potential clash between Özbas and Cvjetko could prove to be an interesting matchup.
Özbas has fought 30 international contests since her move up in weight, losing only three, while Cvjetko continues to build on her momentum from a world silver and European bronze last year. Their rivalry stretches back nearly a decade, first meeting in 2016 at -52 kg, where Özbas won. Cvjetko responded in 2018 at -57 kg, before Özbas took the most recent encounter in 2024, now at -70 kg. With both athletes aged 24, their next meeting is one you won’t want to miss.
Özbas and Cvjetko are also joined by their 2025 European podium counterparts, silver medallist Elisavet Teltsidou of Greece and bronze medallist, Serbia’s Aleksandra Andric.
The field in Tbilisi also features three Olympic medallists. Austria’s Michaela Polleres, silver in Tokyo and bronze in Paris, brings proven championship pedigree, while Madina Taimazova, bronze medallist in Tokyo, and the Netherlands’ Sanne van Dijke, also a Tokyo bronze medallist, add further challenge.
Van Dijke has claimed European titles in 2017 and 2021. Now 30, she remains the most experienced competitor in the category. Since winning gold on her debut in 2017, she has added a second title, three silvers, and a bronze, with Tbilisi marking her ninth appearance at the senior European Championships.
The depth of the category is further reflected in the rankings, with seven of the world’s top ten set to compete, Cvjetko (1st), Özbas (4th), Ida Eriksson (6th), Ai Tsunoda Roustant (7th), Giorgia Stangherlin (8th), April Fohouo (9th), and Teltsidou (10th). Among them, Teltsidou stands out for her longevity; since debuting at the senior European Championships in 2014, she has claimed two silver medals, with Tbilisi marking her 11th appearance at the event.
One athlete who has the potential to disrupt the entire established order is Switzerland’s Fohouo.
The junior world and European champion has made an immediate impression at the senior level, reaching two Grand Slam finals since her transition. While she has stated she has “nothing to prove” going into her first senior championships, her rapid rise suggests she has the tools to challenge even the most seasoned names in the field.
-70kg European championships of the past ten years
2016, Kazan (RUS): Gévrise Émane (FRA)
2017, Warsaw (POL): Sanne van Dijke (NED)
2018, Tel Aviv (ISR): Kim Polling (NED)
2019, Minsk (BLR): Margaux Pinot (FRA)
2020, Prague (CZE): Margaux Pinot (FRA)
2021, Lisbon (POR): Sanne van Dijke (NED)
2022, Sofia (BUL): Marie-Ève Gahié (FRA)
2023, Montpellier (FRA): Marie-Ève Gahié (FRA)
2024, Zagreb (CRO): Barbara Matić (CRO)
2025, Podgorica (MNE): Szofi Özbas (HUN)
Author: EJU Media