The first day of the competition, which took place from 21st to 23rd March at the Olympic Sports Palace in Tbilisi, lived up to all expectations. There was phenomenal ippon judo throughout the day, close-fought contests with exciting golden scores. There were surprises, many surprises and some confirmations too.
The host country concluded the day in style with the fantastic victory of Eteri Liparteliani, who treated the crowd to a stunning final. After trailing by one waza-ari and two yuko, she ultimately won by scoring one more yuko than her opponent, Martha Fawaz. It was judo as we love it, spectacular judo where nothing is over until the final gong.
With Tbilisi being the fifth stop on the World Judo Tour this season and the Budapest World Championships fast approaching, many delegations came to Georgia because they all know it's a great test for the coming months.
On this first day, the lightweight categories competed on the tatami, providing plenty of excitement for the already present crowd, who were motivated more than ever to support the national and international athletes.
On the second day of competition, four new categories will be in action. Follow the competition at https://judotv.com/ and don't miss any of the Georgian spectacle.