In Linz, at the Upper Austria Grand Slam, Tushishvili is at the top of the draw sheet and should be clear of the rest but when athletes change weight or occupy a particular place on the World Ranking List, anomalies can appear and make the outcome of a day far less predictable than one might think.
Muzaffarbek Turoboyev became world champion on his home soil at the 2022 Tashkent World Championships, at -100 kg. In Linz, he has arrived at +100 kg and this could give the Georgian in pole position a headache. He first appeared in his new category in Tokyo 3 months ago but he lost in the first round against Nakano (JPN), the eventual gold medallist.
There is no doubt that a lot of work has been done and now Turoboyev looks the part, perhaps as if he has always been there; a new strength programme, a new diet perhaps, and there is no doubt he has done his homework on Tushishvili. His teammate and Olympic medallist at +100 kg, Alisher Yusupov, may also have spent some time with him revising tactics.
Whatever happens in Linz, the second round match-up will draw the eyes of the audience in the Tips Arena and also online; it is not to be missed.