**Tbilisi Arena Hosts Thrilling First Day of Judo World Tour** The city of Tbilisi, Georgia, welcomed the world judo tour with great enthusiasm on the first day of the tournament. The event, held at the Tbilisi Arena, drew a large crowd eager to witness the exciting matches. The tournament was officially opened by President of the International Judo Federation, **Marius VIZER**, and President of the Georgian Judo Federation, **Levan NOZADZE**. The opening ceremony marked the start of an action-packed day of judo competitions. In the women's -48kg category, **Tugce BEDER** of Turkey faced off against Olympic bronze medalist **Tara BABULFATH** of Sweden in the final. BEDER emerged victorious with a dominant performance, securing her first Grand Slam gold medal and completing her grand slam medal collection. She was awarded her medal by **Marius VIZER**. In the men's -60kg category, 18-year-old **Izhak ASHPIZ** was fighting for his first-ever Grand Slam gold. Seizing an opportunity, ASHPIZ threw his opponent for a waza-ari score, securing his victory. He was awarded his medal by **Sergey SOLOVEYCHIK**, President of the Russian Judo Federation. In the women's -52kg category, **Tatum KEEN** of Great Britain met **Blandine PONT** of France in the final. PONT secured the win with a beautifully timed counter and a yuko score, placing her on top of the podium. **Blandine PONT** expressed her appreciation for the event, saying, "This is the third time I've come here and every time I feel good, in this city, in this place with good public." The medals were awarded by **Almaz ALSENOV**, CEO of Harvest Group and Partner of the International Judo Federation. The -66kg category saw **Turan BAYRAMOV** of Azerbaijan face off against **Nurkanat SERIKBAYEV** of Kazakhstan. With only 13 seconds left on the clock, SERIKBAYEV caught his opponent for a yuko score and gold. SERIKBAYEV expressed his excitement, saying, "I am very happy. This is my second victory here in Tbilisi, my second gold. Back in 2024, I became champion here in the 60-kilogram category. Now, two years later, I've achieved this success. I am very happy." The medals were awarded by **Yerbol MYRZABOSSYNOV**, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the women's u57kg category, **Timna NELSON LEVY** secured her second career Grand Slam gold medal with a textbook kosoto-gake. The medals were awarded by **Michael MICHAELY**, Chairman of CEDCO Hungary. The home crowd was left with high enthusiasm for Day 2 of the tournament, with **Tornike GIGAURI** securing a bronze medal in the men's -66kg category.