France sets the pace, but Georgia turns up the heat in Tbilisi

Day one of the 2026 Senior European Championships in Tbilisi belonged to France. The French team collected medals in all four categories contested, immediately putting themselves on top of the standings. Gold medals for Boukli and Mkheidze, silver for Buchard and bronze for Khyar gave them the kind of opening every team wants.

There was no room to relax, though. The Russian Federation stayed close with one medal of each colour, while Kosovo held third place thanks to Distria Krasniqi’s gold. Host nation Georgia, by contrast, looked slightly behind the early pace, with Giorgi Sardalashvili’s silver at -60 kg their only medal on the first day.

Everything shifted on day two. Lasha Shavdatuashvili, one of Georgia’s long-standing stars, delivered a composed and determined run to the -73 kg European title. In the final, he finished ahead of current Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan, giving the home crowd a huge moment and pulling Georgia right back into the medal-table fight.

Tbilisi’s medal race changed fast once Georgia struck back.

Georgia’s push did not stop there. Eteri Liparteliani had to come from behind in her final against Timna Nelson-Levy after conceding an early Yuko. With just 20 seconds left, she found an attack her opponent could not escape, adding another gold and even more energy to the host nation’s campaign.

France added only one more medal on day two, through Manon Deketer at -63 kg. That result kept France firmly in the conversation, but it also meant the gap to Georgia narrowed. What looked like early French control now feels much more fragile.

With two days completed and two still to come, the race for the top of the medal table remains wide open. France made the first statement, but Georgia answered with real force. And with more key categories still ahead, including strong Georgian hopes at -90 kg, the second half in Tbilisi promises even more tension.

Source: EJU_News