Irakli Goginashvili Finishes Fifth at 2026 Junior European Championships
September 04, 2026
Irakli Goginashvili secured another impressive result at the 2026 Junior European Championships, finishing fifth in Podgorica after narrowly missing out on the podium, a year on from winning gold in the -73kg category.
The Palavani judoka began his campaign in the Round of 32 against Yusuf Buluk (TUR) and made an exceptional start, throwing his opponent for ippon just 25 seconds into the contest.
In the Round of 16, Goginashvili faced Tom Bulocinic (ISR) and produced another dominant performance. Two yukos and a waza-ari sealed a comfortable victory and booked his place in the quarter-finals.
Illia Nazarenko (UKR) stood between Goginashvili and a place in the semi-finals, providing the Brit with his toughest test of the day. The contest remained scoreless through regular time before heading into golden score, where Goginashvili needed just 16 seconds to score ippon and secure his semi-final spot.
In the semi-final, Goginashvili came up against Atmir Soblirov (RUS). On this occasion, the Russian edged the contest, sending the British judoka into the bronze medal match and ending his hopes of defending the European title.
Lucio Tavoletta (ITA) awaited in the final block, as the 2025 champion faced the 2025 bronze medallist with a place on the podium at stake. It was Tavoletta who came out on top this time, leaving Goginashvili to finish fifth.
Despite narrowly missing out on a medal, it was another strong performance from Goginashvili on the European stage, adding another top-five finish to his incredible junior record. He will now turn his attention to the Hungary Grand Slam next week and Junior World Championships in November as he looks to return to the podium.
Great Britain’s final competitor takes to the tatami tomorrow, with Nicole Wood competing in the -78kg category on the third and final day of the championships.
