TBILISI, Georgia — The French judo team left the 2024 European Championships in Tbilisi with a quiet sense of accomplishment, securing 12 medals — including two gold — to finish second in the nation standings behind host Georgia and just ahead of the Russian Federation. The result, achieved over four days of competition at the Olympic Palace from April 25–28, underscored a blend of consistency and composure that has become characteristic of the French program under national coach Larbi Benboudaoud.
France’s tally of two gold, four silver, and six bronze medals placed it second in the overall medal table by points (using the International Judo Federation’s weighted system: gold=7, silver=5, bronze=3), behind Georgia’s 14 medals (including four gold) and ahead of Russia’s 11 medals (three gold). This continues a recent trend of French strength at continental championships, following a third-place finish in 2023 and second in 2022.
The breakthrough gold came in the women’s -57 kg category, where Priscilla Gneto defeated Kosovo’s Nora Gjakova in the final with a decisive ippon via o-soto-gari. Gneto, 32, had not won a European senior title since 2016 and entered the tournament seeded third. Her victory was particularly meaningful given her role as a veteran leader on a squad blending experience with emerging talent.
Later on the final day, Joan-Benjamin Gaba secured France’s second gold in the men’s -73 kg division, defeating Azerbaijan’s Hidayat Heydarov in a rematch of the 2023 World Championships final. Gaba, 24, won by waza-ari after holding Heydarov down for 20 seconds in golden score. The victory marked his first senior European title and positioned him as a leading contender for Olympic selection in Paris.
“We came here with a clear plan: fight smart, stay disciplined, and trust our preparation,” Gaba said in the mixed zone after his final. “Knowing we had teammates medaling in other categories helped us stay calm. This isn’t just about one athlete — it’s about the whole group pushing each other.”
Other standout performances included Axel Clerget’s silver in the men’s -100 kg class, where he lost to Georgia’s Ilia Sulamanidze in the final after earlier defeating reigning world champion Peter Paltchik of Israel. Clerget, a 2021 world bronze medalist, showed improved grip-fighting and transition speed throughout the tournament.
In the women’s division, Romane Dicko earned bronze in the +78 kg category, defeating Turkey’s Kayra Sayit via waza-ari after overcoming a shido penalty in golden score. Dicko, 24, had struggled with consistency since her 2022 European title but demonstrated renewed aggression in her gripping and seoi-nage attempts.
The French team also collected multiple bronze medals through repechage runs: Amandine Buchard (-52 kg), Sarah-Léonie Cysique (-63 kg), Madeleine Malonga (-78 kg), and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou (-90 kg) all fought back from early losses to secure podium finishes. Their resilience highlighted the depth of the French roster, which benefited from a full Olympic cycle of preparation without major disruptions.
Coach Larbi Benboudaoud, who has led the French program since 2021, emphasized process over podiums in his post-tournament remarks. “Medals are nice, but what we’re building is reliability,” he said. “We want athletes who can perform under pressure, make correct decisions in golden score, and recover quickly between matches. That’s what wins Olympic medals.”
The French judo federation confirmed that the Tbilisi results will directly inform selections for the upcoming 2024 World Championships in Abu Dhabi (May 19–25) and, more critically, the Olympic Games in Paris (July 27–August 3). While automatic qualification spots are already secured based on world rankings, the European Championships served as a final evaluation tournament for borderline cases and weight-class adjustments.
Notably, France did not enter athletes in the men’s -60 kg or women’s -48 kg categories, opting instead to preserve those athletes for the World Championships circuit. This strategic omission was confirmed by the federation’s technical director and did not impact the nation’s standing, as those categories typically yield fewer points in the team ranking system.
The Olympic Palace in Tbilisi, a modern 10,000-seat arena opened in 2011, hosted the event under typical late-spring conditions: temperatures averaging 18–22°C (64–72°F) with low humidity. Attendance was strong for Georgian matches but varied across sessions, with international media presence noted from outlets including L’Équipe, ESPN, and NHK.
Russia competed as a neutral delegation under the International Judo Federation’s flag, following ongoing sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. Despite not displaying national symbols or anthems, Russian athletes were individually identifiable and competed under the designation “Individual Neutral Athletes.” Their three gold medals came in the men’s -66 kg (Abdula Abdulzhalilov), -81 kg (Vladimir Bubanja), and +100 kg (Tamerlan Bashaev) categories.
Georgia’s home advantage was evident, particularly in front-of-crowd performances by Lasha Bekauri (-90 kg) and Guram Tushishvili (+100 kg), both of whom won gold in front of vocally supportive crowds. The host nation’s success was bolstered by a recent investment in grassroots judo programs and centralized training at the Olympic Palace.
Looking ahead, the French team will reconvene at the INSEP training facility in Paris in early May for a preparation camp ahead of the World Championships. Key athletes including Gneto, Gaba, and Dicko are expected to attend, with a focus on refining ne-waza transitions and tactical variability in gripping strategies.
For fans following the French judo squad, the next major checkpoint is the World Championships in Abu Dhabi, where live results and streams will be available via the IJF’s official platform. Archysport will continue to provide updates on selections, training developments, and Olympic preparations as the Paris Games approach.
As the European Championships concluded, the prevailing sentiment within the French camp was not exultation, but quiet confidence. Twelve medals — two of them gold — may not have topped the standings, but they affirmed a trajectory: steady, resilient, and ready for the ultimate test on home soil in just a few months.
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