Teltsidou Turns Olympic Lessons into a New Baku Focus

Greek judoka Elisavet Teltsidou is heading towards the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku with a refreshed approach to the biggest days in the sport. The -70kg athlete will compete in Azerbaijan from 4-11 October after taking gold at the 2026 Grand Slam Hungary, her final event before the Worlds.

Teltsidou brings major experience to the challenge. The 30-year-old is a five-time IJF Grand Slam winner and a two-time senior European medallist, with more than a decade on the international circuit. She has also represented Greece at two Olympic Games, competing in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Her Olympic experiences have shaped the way she views pressure. In Tokyo, Teltsidou finished seventh, a result she described as significant at the time. By Paris 2024, where she arrived ranked second in the world at -70kg, expectations had grown alongside her own ambitions.

Her Paris campaign ended in the round of 16 against Belgium's eventual bronze medallist Gabriella Willems. Rather than allowing that result to define the next stage of her career, Teltsidou has taken it as part of the long process of learning in elite Judo.

Teltsidou's Hungary gold arrives at an important point before the World Championships.

For the Greek athlete, the Olympic format remains one of the sport's toughest tests: years of preparation can come down to a single day. Looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028, she still has the same goal, but believes progress requires changes rather than staying in familiar routines.

That adjustment is not only technical or physical. Teltsidou is placing more value on the journey through training and competition, and on reconnecting with the enjoyment that drew her to Judo. She sees continued commitment from Olympic champions as evidence that reaching a major goal does not have to be an endpoint.

Baku is the next major stage in that journey. With recent Grand Slam gold and lessons from two Olympic appearances, Teltsidou enters the World Championships determined to fight with experience, perspective and renewed purpose.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union