EYOF 2015: Two female judokas win gold medals for Georgia

Two female judokas have won gold medals for Georgia at the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), commonly known as Tbilisi 2015.

Young Georgian athlete Mzia Beboshvili won a gold medal today after defeating her Dutch opponent Ilse Buren with an ippon (the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese-style martial arts contest).

The fight started with Beboshvili with the advantage and in the third minute of the bout she bound Buren, which earned her an ippon.

Leading up to the final Beboshvili defeated British judoka Aimee Grant, Romania’s Ana Rotari and acting European champion Nasiba Ibragimova of Russia.

"Everyone really hoped I would win a gold medal and I did not have the right to concede it to anyone else,” Beboshvili said after her victory.

Eter Liparteliani on her final match against Polish Anna Dabrowska. Photo by EYOF 2015

Several minutes after Beboshvili's victory, another Georgian female judoka Eter Liparteliani won a gold medal in the 57kg weight category.

Liparteliani defeated Polish Anna Dabrowska also by an ippon.

Before the final match, the Georgian athlete defeated Vera Zemanova of the Czech Republic, Macedonian Arma Fajzula, Russia's Danna Nagucheva and Emilia Kanerva of Finland.

"I am happy that I won a gold medal in Tbilisi. Thank you very much to the audience, if it were not for them, I would not have been able to achieve this result,” she said.

Beboshvili and Liparteliani's gold medals were the second and third gold medals won by the Georgian team at the EYOF 2015. To date Georgia has won three gold and four bronze medals.

The 13^th EYOF is currently being held in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.