Day two will see a host of champions, European, World and Olympic. Though there are those who have acquired all of the titles before him, including Lasha SHAVDATUASHVILI (GEO) in this weight category, Hidayat HEYDAROV of Azerbaijan was first to collect the trinity in one year, three months in fact!
Heydarov found himself in the shadow of his team mate, Olympic silver medallist, Rustam ORUJOV, for so long, but under the guidance of 2008 Olympic Champion, Elnur MAMMADLI, he has realised his dreams. However this also means the expectation will always be gold, and he is now heading for his fifth European title. The world ranked #1 has been top of the podium for three consecutive years… can the Olympic Champion make it four?
Rivalling Heydarov is 2024 silver medallist, Danil LAVRENTEV (IJF). To have a repeat of the 2024 final would be phenomenal, especially from the young talent Lavrentev, but the calibre is exceptional.
Coming in at #3 and #4 are two top contenders that came incredibly close, finishing in fifth place in the Paris Olympics, Manuel LOMBARDO (ITA) and Akil GJAKOVA (KOS).
One name that battled his way through in front of a home crowd was Joan-Benjamin GABA (FRA). He stunned on his journey to the final, seeing out Shavdatuashvili in the opening contest, and then HASHIMOTO Soichi (JPN) in the quarter. Almost at the bottom of the ranking for this category is a heavy hitter, but previously from -66kg, Baruch SHMAILOV (ISR). Claiming Masters titles and top level results, Shmailov is capable of causing issues for the top seeds in Podgorica.
The post European Championships 2025: -73kg Preview appeared first on European Judo Union.
