Lasha Bekauri Dominates in Men -90 kg Judo Semifinal at Paris 2024

The Men -90 kg Semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics showcased an intense battle on July 31, 2024, at the Champ-de-Mars Arena. In this high-stakes match, Georgian judoka Lasha Bekauri faced off against Spain's Tristani Mosakhlishvili.

With a world ranking of 1, Bekauri demonstrated his skill and strategy right from the start. He weighed in at 89.8 kg, while Mosakhlishvili came in slightly lighter at 89.1 kg, ranked 14th globally. The match commenced at 16:42 local time and concluded at 16:48, lasting a total of 4 minutes and 36 seconds, including a thrilling golden score period.

Bekauri immediately asserted his dominance, collecting two scores (or 'points') through effective techniques, culminating in a decisive victory when he achieved an ippon against Mosakhlishvili. The contest was marked by a series of penalties, with both athletes receiving cautions, but it was Bekauri's superior technique that ultimately shone through.

The referee for this contest was Veli-Matti Karinkanta from Finland, who ensured fair play throughout the match. With this victory, Bekauri advanced to the finals, aiming for gold after securing first place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Meanwhile, Mosakhlishvili, despite his loss, displayed commendable sportsmanship and skill, having recently won the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam 2023.

As the excitement builds for the finals, all eyes will be on Lasha Bekauri, who looks to continue his Olympic journey with another gold medal.