Will Beka Gviniashvili finally win a world medal?

Beka Gviniashvili was one of the most promising junior judokas from Georgia. Back when he was a cadet, he won the World Cadet Championships. Then, he went on to win two World Junior Championships.

He's been competing at the World Senior Championships since 2014 but for some reason he has not been able to win a single World Senior medal of any color.

This is surprising when looking at his senior achievements in the IJF World Tour where he has won 10 gold medals, including in very prestigious events like the Osaka Grand Slam and IJF World Masters (which he has won twice).

Like many Georgian players, Gviniashvili has big hip throws and equally big pick-up and counter techniques. And like many Georgians, he seems to be comfortable throwing both to the left and to the right.

Gviniashvili did well in last year’s European Championships, where he got the silver medal. But just when you think he is peaking, he crashed out of the 2021 World Championships in his first match. He managed to get a bronze at that year’s Baku Grand Slam though.

So far, 2022 hasn’t been good for Gviniashvili. He failed to medal at the Paris Grand Slam this year. And he was eliminated in his first match at the Antalya Grand Slam.

But there is still plenty of time for him to bounce back before the World Championships. Perhaps he can shock everyone and finally get his first world medal later this year.