Judo Champions League for Fighter Tbilisi and US Orleans

The Champions League Cup will be in Tbilisi for this year. The local team of Fighter Tbilisi captured the European Club title in Gori. In the final Fighter Tbilisi met with last year’s finallists Red Star Belgrade from Serbia in the final. In a thriller and clashes between some of the best players in the world, Fighter Tbilisi captured the title after a 3-2 victory over the Serbians.

Fighter Tbilisi was followed by many fans who motivated their team for the win in Gori. In the team Bagrati Niniashvili, Giorgi Tutashvili, Giorgi Chkihelidze, Phridon Gigani, Tato Grigalashvili, Levan Guvava, Ushangi Margiani, Varlam Liparteliani, Onise Saneblidze and Guram Tushishvili.

The French women’s team of U.S. Orleans Loiret LJJ have won the Champions League, the European Club Championships in Gori in Georgia. In the final U.S. Orleans defeated another strong French club, Red Star Club De Champigny. The winning team from Orleans was led by coach Anthony Rodriguez.

Remarkable was the comeback of double Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou for her club Red Star. In the final Orleans defeated Red Stars by a clean 5-0.  Agbegnenou, who was returning to competition after maternity leave, injured her knee in the final of the Judo Champions League in Georgia. In the team event, which she was competing in with her club Red Star Champigny, Agbegnenou won her first two bouts of the day before losing in the final to her compatriot Margaux Pinot of US Orleans. Three minutes from the gong, the double Tokyo Olympic champion injured her right knee and was unable to finish her bout, leaving the mat with the help of Pinot. US Orleans eventually won the final by 5-0.

In the team of U.S. Orleans Loiret LJJ (FRA) world players such as Astride Gneto (FRA), Priscilla Gneto (FRA), Lucy Renshall (GBR), Margaux Pinot (FRA), Samah Hawa Camara (FRA). France also won the European title for nations held a few weeks ago in France which included some of the stars from U.S. Orleans.

The ten-time world champion, who competes for his club PSG, lost his first bout against Guram Tushishvili of Georgia in the quarter-finals. He then recovered to win a repechage against Spaniard, Nikoloz Sherazadishvili, but PSG lost 3-2. Riner had not fought since winning the Grand Slam in Budapest last July.