Home roar, late breakthrough: Maisuradze seals Tbilisi gold in Golden Score

Luka Maisuradze delivered one of the most emotional moments of the European Judo Championships Senior Tbilisi 2026 by taking gold in front of the home crowd. The Georgian champion gave his country a third gold medal and did it in the kind of final that keeps an arena holding its breath.

The decisive score came in Golden Score, when one action finally separated the two finalists after a tense battle. It was the turning point everyone in Tbilisi had been waiting for, and the reaction inside the hall showed exactly what the moment meant.

Maisuradze stayed alive in the match and found the winning moment when it mattered most.

In the final, he faced Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov, another major name in European judo and a former World and European Champion. Maisuradze had expected a difficult and tightly contested match, and that is how it unfolded from the opening exchange to the finish.

After the contest, he spoke about the extra weight this title carried. Becoming European champion is already a huge achievement, but doing it in Georgia, in front of Georgian fans, clearly made it feel different. For Maisuradze, the emotional side of the win was impossible to separate from the result itself.

He also made time to address the end of the final with respect. Majdov was injured late in the contest, and Maisuradze said he was sorry to see that happen. He described the Serbian as a very good athlete and wished him a fast recovery.

There was also a clear lesson in the victory. Maisuradze said this championship reinforced the importance of never giving up and always fighting until the end, especially when competing in front of your own people.

Celebration was the next question, even if the details were still undecided. He said he hoped friends and family had already planned something. Whatever the restaurant, it was set to be a night Tbilisi would not forget.

Source: EJU_News