Wachid Borchashvili Triumphs in Men's 81 kg Judo Elimination Round

In the highly anticipated Men's -81 kg Elimination Round of 32, Austrian judoka Wachid Borchashvili showcased his exceptional skills, defeating Afghanistan's Mohammad Samim Faizad at the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris. The match, which took place on July 30, 2024, at the prestigious Champ-de-Mars Arena, was a captivating display of technique and strategy.

Borchashvili, who weighed in at 80.7 kg and ranked 9th in the world, began the contest with a strong offensive approach. He quickly established dominance, scoring a Waza-ari followed by an Ippon using the Seoi-nage technique. The match concluded with a total duration of 2 minutes and 42 seconds, with Borchashvili emerging victorious and securing his advancement to the next round with a score of 11 points.

Faizad, weighing 79.9 kg and ranked 446 globally, faced a challenging battle against the seasoned Borchashvili. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure any points in this contest, marking it as a significant learning experience in his Olympic journey.

The referee for this exciting encounter was Veli-Matti Karinkanta from Finland, ensuring that the match was conducted fairly and within the rules of judo. With this victory, Borchashvili continues to build on his recent success, having previously won first place at the Tbilisi Grand Slam 2023.

As the competition progresses, all eyes will be on Borchashvili as he aims for Olympic glory in the upcoming rounds.