In Kaunas, Irakli Goginashvili once again confirmed that he is no ordinary talent. Already a Junior European champion and World medallist in 2025, the British judoka dominated the -73 kg category at the Junior European Cup, prevailing with rare authority. In his wake, several young British judoka also impressed, as the delegation returned from Lithuania’s second-largest city with a total of four medals.
Goginashvili untouchable in Kaunas
Some victories leave a mark, others establish a hierarchy. In Kaunas, Irakli Goginashvili did more than just claim gold, he completely outclassed the field. Competing in the -73 kg category, the Palavani Judo Club athlete stormed through the draw without conceding a single score, finishing three of his contests : including the semi-final and the final, by ippon.
From his opening bout against Croatia’s Filip Knez, the tone was set. In just under three minutes, Goginashvili imposed his rhythm, scored, and controlled proceedings. The same pattern followed in the next round against Ukraine’s Davlatzhon Mammadov, where he secured victory after a longer but still perfectly managed contest. In the quarter-final, he stepped up another gear, dispatching Finland’s Samir Balayev in under two minutes with ruthless efficiency.
The semi-final against Roman Bankin, another Ukrainian representative, could have been his first real test. Instead, it proved to be little more than a formality. In just 1 minute and 38 seconds, Goginashvili booked his place in the final without ever appearing troubled. Awaiting him in the gold medal contest was Danylo Kravchenko, who had earlier defeated British judoka Eden Heffernan.
The final followed the same script. Much like in the semi-final, the contest was brought to an early conclusion, with Goginashvili sealing victory by ippon after just 1 minute and 21 seconds. Once again, he did not concede a single point. It was total domination, confirming his status : at present, he is simply one of the best British judoka across all age categories. Crucially, he is improving at a rapid rate, a very encouraging sign with the Olympic qualification period set to begin on 15 June 2026.
A promising collective dynamic behind leader Goginashvili
While Goginashvili’s performance naturally takes centre stage, it should not overshadow the depth of the British squad in Kaunas. In the same -73 kg category, Eden Heffernan delivered an encouraging performance. Notably defeating Ukraine’s Rostyslav Marynych in under a minute, he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Kravchenko. Entering the repechage, he added two more victories to his tally before eventually losing in the bronze medal contest to Roman Bankin.
In the women’s events, Nicole Wood once again demonstrated her consistency at the highest junior level. Competing in the -78 kg category, she progressed to the final with two well-controlled performances. Facing Poland’s Magda Glubiak for gold, she pushed her opponent all the way before ultimately falling short. It was a result strikingly similar to the Poznan tournament, where Wood had also been beaten in the final by Glubiak, who for now appears to be her main obstacle.
The -52 kg category also provided plenty of positives. Kate Chisholm and Lola Hodson both secured bronze medals after hard-fought campaigns. Chisholm, in particular, defeated Finland’s Essi Lappetelainen before losing in the semi-final to Ukraine’s Sofiia Hrechka. Hodson, meanwhile, made an immediate impact with a rapid victory in under a minute against Lithuania’s Ceslauskaite in the round of 16.
On the men’s side, Joseph Buchanan (-60 kg) and Gheorghe Tataru (-100 kg) both came close to reaching the podium. Buchanan progressed to the semi-finals after a series of tightly contested bouts, before narrowly missing out on bronze against France’s Romain Demoniere-Badie. Tataru, for his part, battled through several repechage rounds with determination, only to fall short in the decisive match for a medal.
As was the case at the Paris Grand Slam, where British judoka stood out by defeating opponents widely considered stronger, this Junior European Cup in Kaunas once again highlighted something beyond the raw results: the ability of British athletes to compete at this level. Many of them are still very young, sometimes competing in their first events at this standard, yet they are already capable of delivering highly encouraging performances — and even stepping onto the podium.
