Making history: Judoka Eter Liparteliani becomes first Georgian female to win world championship [VIDEO]
Liparteliani is the first Georgian female judoka to win the world championship. Photo: Di Feliciantonio Emanuele/IJF
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Georgian judoka Eter Liparteliani has won the world championship in Marrakesh, Morocco today.
Liparteliani, 20, has claimed her first gold by defeating a Japanese judoka Kanako Hakamata in the under 57kg category.
The Georgian Judo Federation announced earlier today that Liparteliani is the first Georgian female judoka to win the world championship.
The International Judo Federation (IJF) said her victory “marks the arrival of Georgia in the top world level with a young and successful female team”.
Eteri's victory marks a clear turning point and it should not be surprising to see Georgia appear again at the top of the world rankings in upcoming team tournaments”, the IJF reported.
Calling her a “reigning Junior European Champion” the IJF said Liparteliani has “confirmed her rank throughout the day and qualified for the final without any trouble”.
Watch Liparteliani defeating Hakamata:
IJF also noted that “beyond the excellent results of Liparteliani, it is interesting to notice that Georgia has been working hard to produce strong female athlete as well, when a few years ago mainly the men were known”.
Georgia as a mixed team will be under scrutiny by the other nations, as they will again be competitive in team events”, the IJF reported.
The Georgian national team is comprised of nine male and three female judokas, who will be competing in coming days.
The World Championships Junior 2019, which kicked off on October 16, will last for a couple of more days.