It was just two weeks ago that Daniel Udsilauri was crowned German champion. Last weekend, the athlete from the TSV Erbach judo team seamlessly continued his strong performance at the German Championships on the international stage and also celebrated great successes at the U23 European Championships in Pila, Poland.
The reigning German champion started at the Junior European Championships in Poland alongside his twin brother George – but he entered the competition with a handicap. Unfortunately, due to a torn tendon in his finger, his last tournament in 2024 ended early. For the TSV Erbach judoka, “a bitter end to the season, after he narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris in seventh place at the World Cup,” as Jörg Berken from the TSV Erbach judo department reports.
Victory in the small final using a lever technique
After winning the German championship in the over 100 kilo class in Poland, Daniel Udsilauri was also aiming for the European title. He promisingly secured his place in the semi-finals with victories against Stsic from Serbia and the U18 vice world champion Marek Masak from Estonia. There, however, he lost out to the Georgian Demetrashvili – it went into the small final for bronze. Here again he met an Estonian. Using a lever technique, he forced Prilinn Tirk to give up and thus secured the bronze medal in the individual.
On Sunday Daniel Udsilauri went back to the mat with the mixed team. The German team initially defeated the team from Azerbaijan, but was prevented from defending their title from last year by Georgia. With a victory over the judoka from Israel, Daniel Udsilauri and the team led by the two team coaches Seidl and Schendel deservedly won bronze again on the podium. The next highlight in the young career of the judo athlete from Erbach.
