Irakli Goginashvili Makes History With Bronze at the 2025 Junior World Championships
October 07, 2025
Irakli Goginashvili has added Junior World Championships bronze medallist to his list of 2025 achievements, alongside his European Championships title at -73kg.
Irakli Goginashvili (Palavani) continues to make history, becoming Great Britain’s first male Junior World medallist since Ben Quilter in 2011, ending a remarkable 14-year drought.
This success comes just five weeks after he captured his first European Championships gold medal, becoming Britain’s first male Junior European champion in 25 years.
The young Brit began his campaign strongly, defeating Attila Uveges (HUN) in the Round of 32, controlling the contest well to secure both a yuko and waza-ari to take the win.
He carried that momentum into the Round of 16, overcoming Konstantinos Tsaparas (GRE) in another commanding performance, scoring an early waza-ari before sealing the victory with an ippon just seven seconds before time.
In the quarter-final, Goginashvili faced fellow Brit Ben Levy, reigniting what has become one of the division’s most exciting rivalries. On this occasion, it was Goginashvili who prevailed with a decisive ippon, booking his place in the semi-finals.
There, he met Ryusei Arakawa (JPN) in a tense contest that ultimately went the way of the Japanese judoka, who caught and threw Goginashvili for ippon, sending the Brit into the bronze medal contest.
Demonstrating exceptional resilience and focus, Goginashvili rebounded brilliantly in the bronze medal bout, defeating Narek Vardanian (SWE) once again, just weeks after meeting him in the European Championships final. Goginashvili scored an early yuko and maintained control throughout the four minutes to secure the victory and claim the bronze medal.
Reflecting on his achievement, Goginashvili said, “I feel amazing — it’s such a great feeling to stand on the podium at the World Championships. I’m really proud of myself and happy with the way I fought throughout the day. It’s been a long journey with a lot of hard work, and to come away with a medal on the world stage means a lot to me.
“Becoming European Champion was already a huge moment for me, and now adding a World bronze is something I’m very proud of. It shows that the hard work is paying off and that I’m moving in the right direction.
“I want to say a huge thank you to my dad, Levan Goginashvili, and to my club, Palavani Judo Club. My dad has always been there for me, pushing me and believing in me, and the club has given me everything I need to succeed. I also want to give a big thank you to Chloe Cowen and Simon Moss for all their support throughout the day — they really helped me stay focused and perform my best. I’m so grateful to have such amazing people around me.”
It has truly been a year for the record books for the Palavani judoka, who continues to prove he is ready for any challenge that comes his way. We can’t wait to see what he does next!
Ben Levy (Budokwai) also delivered a strong performance, finishing 7th and narrowly missing out on the medal fights. His result, alongside Goginashvili’s podium finish, highlights the impressive strength of Great Britain’s -73kg category on the international stage.
