Tbilisi sets the stage: -90 kg home pressure, -70 kg rivalry, and a stacked European field

From 16–19 April in Tbilisi, the European Championships will spotlight two divisions that feel loaded from the very first round: men’s -90 kg and women’s -70 kg. Georgia arrive with massive expectations at home in -90 kg, while -70 kg brings a headline rivalry that has been building for years.

Two categories, one message: nothing comes easy in Tbilisi.

In men’s -90 kg, the host nation holds the top two seeds and the dream of an all-Georgian final is very real. Lasha Bekauri leads the draw as a double Olympic champion and the 2021 European champion, famous for a high-intensity, all-in approach. Right behind him is Luka Maisuradze, the 2023 world champion, coming in strong after a recent Grand Slam victory. Their head-to-head is level at 2–2 in the preview, which only adds fuel to the possibility of a final that could decide everything in front of the home crowd.

But Europe’s depth is what makes this weight terrifying. France’s Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou and Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis both bring Olympic bronze from Paris 2024, and Serbia’s 2017 world champion Nemanja Majdov adds more pedigree to an already heavy draw. Murad Fatiyev (Azerbaijan) and Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Ivanov are also back after last year’s European podium, with Ivanov standing out for sheer experience: since debuting at Europeans in 2014, he has collected two silvers and two bronzes, and Tbilisi will be his 13th appearance.

In women’s -70 kg, the top seed is Croatia’s Lara Cvjetko, carrying the momentum of two senior world finals and a European bronze, plus a breakout run on the World Judo Tour in 2025 that pushed her to world number one. Waiting on the other side is defending European champion Szofi Özbas of Hungary, seeded second and thriving since moving up from -63 kg in 2025. The preview notes four Grand Slam titles in that period, including wins in Paris 2026 and Abu Dhabi 2025.

Cvjetko vs Özbas is a rivalry that keeps changing shape—and it’s not done yet.

Their 2025 European podium company returns too: Greece’s Elisavet Teltsidou (silver) and Serbia’s Aleksandra Andric (bronze). The field also includes Olympic medallists Michaela Polleres (Austria), Madina Taimazova, and Sanne van Dijke (Netherlands). Van Dijke, a European champion in 2017 and 2021, remains the most experienced athlete in the category as she heads into her ninth senior Europeans.

And if you’re looking for a disruptor, Switzerland’s April Fohouo stands out. The junior world and European champion has already reached two Grand Slam finals after stepping up—proof that the established names may not get a quiet day on the tatami in Tbilisi.

Source: EJU_News