Eteri Liparteliani first Georgian woman to win the Grand Slam Tbilisi

The atmosphere in the arena was electric as Eteri Liparteliani entered the final, with the home crowd igniting her spirit as she stepped onto the tatami. Facing off against Canadian title defender Jessica Klimkait, Liparteliani was prepared for the relentless attacks of her opponent, countering one of Klimkait's seoi-otoshi moves for a waza-ari, which she maintained until the end of the match. Liparteliani's victory marked a historic moment as the first Georgian woman to claim gold at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, showcasing the strides made by women in sports in her country and adding another accolade to her impressive career.

Following the final, the emotional atmosphere reached new heights with a heartwarming moment as Liparteliani's long-term partner, Temur Nozadze, rushed into the arena to embrace his champion. Dropping to one knee, he presented her with a stunning diamond ring in a proposal that left not a dry eye in the house. Liparteliani, the Tbilisi Grand Slam champion, embraced both her success in combat sports and her personal life with unwavering passion. Liparteliani stood on the podium with three world champions.

In the quarter-finals, seven of the eight seeded athletes advanced, reflecting the high caliber of judoka in the category and the integrity of the World Ranking List. Klimkait progressed to the semi-finals, facing tense moments and accumulating shidos throughout the rounds. However, she remained determined to stay ahead of Deguchi in the Olympic selection race, securing her spot in the final with a victory over Lima.

In the first bronze medal contest, Deguchi faced Lima in an all-Pan American showdown, with Deguchi securing the medal with two impressive throws. Despite her lead in the ranking table, Deguchi recognized the importance of every point and performance in the competitive Canadian Olympic race.

The second bronze medal contest featured Rafaela Silva against Kaja Kajzer, with Silva emerging victorious thanks to a series of ashi-waza attacks.

Canadian battle

“Had it lasted another 30 seconds or so, Jessica probably would have won!” exclaimed Canadian national coach Antoine Valois-Fortier at the end of the day.

“Still, you have to give credit to Liparteliani. She had a heck of a great day,” he added. “Unfortunately, Jessica made a few tactical errors, and that’s what made the difference. She made a strong comeback during that bout, and the experience will only make her stronger next time.”

Following her loss, Deguchi, who holds the top spot in the weight category’s international rankings and is the current world champion, quickly bounced back in the repechage, defeating Serbia’s Marica Perisic by ippon in less than a minute before finishing the day in fine style against Lima.

“Christa got caught off-guard in a bout that she was clearly dominating, in my opinion. Other than that, she had a great day, and it was a good learning experience. Now we’ll go do our homework, and be ready for next time,” concluded Valois-Fortier.