It was another memorable day for Georgia as Luka Maisuradze on Thursday beat fellow countryman and Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri to win the men’s under 90kg contest on day five of the World Judo Championships Doha 2023.It was the first time that fans saw an-all Georgian final which went Maisuradze’s way. It was sweet revenge for European champion Maisuradze who lost to Bekauri in the title clash of the Grand Slam in Tbilisi in March.Yesterday, Maisuradze appeared stronger and confident in the final. It was a waiting game which was stretched to a golden score.At one point in time, Maisuradze - with two shidos to his name - attempted a soto gari. He held his grip for a moment before throwing himself behind Bekauri to score waza ari which earned him the 2023 world championship title.Exhibiting respect and acknowledgement, the two Georgian archrivals celebrated being part of a world title final. This was the second year in a row that Maisuradze and Bekauri shared a world championships podium.Also yesterday, in the women’s under 70 kg, Japan’s Saki Niizoe proved too strong for Giovanna Scoccimarro of Germany to clinch the gold.Niizoe’s gold brought Japan’s medal count to four in the 2023 Doha Championships.Niizoe’s uchi mata helped her score a waza ari which quickly turned into ne waza. That was sufficient for Niizoe - who won a bronze last year - to seal a gold-winning performance this year.In an unexpected result, Croatia’s Barbara Matic, the world champion in 2021 and 2022, settled for a bronze medal while Michaela Polleres made history by becoming the first Austrian judoka to claim a medal at the World Judo Championships.Today the finals will be held in the men’s under 100 kg and women’s under 80 kg at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena.
May 12, 2023 | 12:24 AM