1. Overview
Beka Gviniashvili (ბექა ღვინიაშვილიGeorgian; born October 26, 1995) is a prominent Georgian judoka who has achieved significant success across various weight categories throughout his career. Known for his powerful technique and consistent performance, Gviniashvili has earned multiple titles at the World Junior Championships, European Junior Championships, and European U23 Championships. His senior career is marked by numerous medals in prestigious tournaments such as the World Masters, Grand Slam, and IJF Grand Prix events, solidifying his position as a key figure in international judo.
2. Early Life and Background
Beka Gviniashvili was born on October 26, 1995, in Shida Kartli, Georgia. Standing at approximately 69 in (175 cm); some sources also report his height as 5.9 ft (1.8 m). He began his judo journey at a young age, quickly rising through the ranks in youth and junior competitions. His early training laid the foundation for his formidable presence on the international judo stage.
3. Junior and Youth Career
Gviniashvili demonstrated exceptional talent from his early years in judo, securing multiple titles at the cadet and junior levels. In 2009, he won a gold medal at the World Judo Cadets Championships in Budapest in the 81 kg category. He continued his dominance in 2011, winning gold medals at the European Cadet Judo Championships in Cottonera, the European Youth Olympic Festival in Trabzon, and the World Cadets Championships in Kyiv, all in the 81 kg division. That same year, he also earned a bronze medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Cape Town.
Transitioning to the 90 kg class, Gviniashvili became the European Junior Champion consecutively in 2013 (Sarajevo), 2014 (Bucharest), and 2015 (Oberwart). His success extended to the global stage, where he claimed the World Junior Championships title in 2013 (Ljubljana), winning all his individual matches by Ippon. In 2014, he secured a bronze medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Fort Lauderdale and helped the Georgian junior team win a silver medal, following a loss to the Japanese team in the final. He notably won his second World Junior title in 2015 (Abu Dhabi). Additionally, in 2016, he triumphed at the European U23 Judo Championships in Tel Aviv, securing the gold medal in the 90 kg category.
4. Senior Career
Beka Gviniashvili's senior career showcases a steady progression through various weight classes and a consistent presence on the podium at major international tournaments.
4.1. Early Senior Success (2012-2015)
Gviniashvili made his mark on the senior circuit early, starting in 2012 by securing silver medals at the World Cup Tbilisi in Tbilisi and World Cup Prague in Prague in the 81 kg category. Upon moving to the 90 kg division in 2013, he achieved a fifth-place finish at the European Open Tbilisi. In 2014, he captured gold at the IJF Grand Prix Samsun in Samsun and Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar in Ulaanbaatar, along with bronze medals at the Grand Slam Baku in Baku and Grand Prix Havana in Havana. He continued this momentum into 2015, winning the Grand Prix Tbilisi by defeating his compatriot and rival Varlam Liparteliani. He also earned a bronze medal at the Grand Prix Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf and a bronze at the European Open Rome in Rome. A significant victory came at the 2015 World Masters in Rabat, where he defeated world champion Ilias Iliadis in the second round and then secured the gold medal by defeating Japan's Yuya Yoshida with an O goshi.
4.2. Olympic and World Championships Participation
Gviniashvili has consistently competed at the highest levels of judo, including the World Championships and Olympic Games. At the 2015 World Judo Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, he reached the quarterfinals, where he defeated Japan's Mashu Baker. However, he lost in the semifinals to Russia's Kirill Denisov by Awase waza and subsequently fell to his colleague Varlam Liparteliani by Soto makikomi in the bronze medal match, finishing in fifth place. Due to the presence of Liparteliani in his weight class, Gviniashvili decided to move up to the 100 kg division to compete for a spot in the Olympic Games. He participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the men's 100 kg category. He reached the quarterfinals but was defeated by France's Cyrille Maret by Waza-ari. In the repechage, he lost to Japan's Ryunosuke Haga by a single Shido, ultimately placing seventh.
4.3. Weight Class Changes
Beka Gviniashvili has demonstrated adaptability by competing in multiple weight categories throughout his career. He initially competed in the 81 kg division during his cadet and junior years, winning numerous titles. He then transitioned to the 90 kg category for much of his junior and senior career, achieving significant international success. For the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he moved up to the 100 kg division to secure an Olympic berth, winning the Pan American Open Lima and Buenos Aires, as well as the Grand Prix Samsun and Grand Slam Baku in this category before the Olympics. After the Rio Olympics, he returned to the 90 kg class, where he continued to collect medals and maintain a high ranking.
4.4. Continued Success and Notable Moments (2017-Present)
Returning to the 90 kg class, Gviniashvili continued his impressive run of form from 2017 onwards. He won the Grand Prix Düsseldorf in 2017 and secured a bronze medal in the individual competition at the 2017 European Judo Championships in Warsaw, also winning a gold medal with the Georgian team. He followed this with a silver medal at the Grand Slam Abu Dhabi. A significant achievement in 2017 was winning his second consecutive World Masters title in Saint Petersburg, defeating South Korea's Gwak Dong-han by Awase waza in the final.
In 2018, at the Grand Slam Paris in Paris, he reached the final but lost to Japan's Shoichiro Mukai by Seoi nage early in the match. Following the bout, Mukai famously displayed great sportsmanship by assisting the injured Gviniashvili off the mat, earning a standing ovation from the crowd. Gviniashvili continued his success in 2019, taking silver at the Grand Slam Ekaterinburg in Ekaterinburg and bronze at the Grand Prix Tbilisi and Grand Prix Budapest in Budapest. He won gold at the Grand Prix Zagreb in Zagreb and notably claimed the gold medal at the Grand Slam Osaka in Osaka, defeating Olympic champion Mashu Baker in the third round by Sasae tsurikomi ashi and Kenta Nagasawa in the semifinals by Awase waza. In 2020, he earned a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Düsseldorf.
In 2021, Gviniashvili secured a silver medal at the World Masters in Doha, losing to the Netherlands' Noël van 't End in the final. He also won a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Tel Aviv and a silver at the European Judo Championships in Lisbon, where he was defeated by his teammate Lasha Bekauri in the final. He concluded 2021 with a bronze medal at the Grand Slam Baku. His strong performances continued into 2022, with gold medals at the Grand Slam Tbilisi, Grand Prix Zagreb, and Grand Slam Abu Dhabi, as well as a bronze at the Grand Slam Budapest. In 2023, he started the year with a gold medal at the Grand Slam Tel Aviv.
5. Major Achievements and Medals
Beka Gviniashvili has amassed an impressive collection of medals throughout his career.
| Senior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 2014 Chelyabinsk | Men's team | Bronze |
| 2015 Astana | Men's team | Bronze | |
| European Games | 2015 Baku | Men's team | Silver |
| 2023 Kraków | Mixed team | Gold | |
| European Championships | 2017 Warsaw | Men's team | Gold |
| 2017 Warsaw | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2020 Prague | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2021 Lisbon | -90 kg | Silver | |
| World Masters | 2015 Rabat | -90 kg | Gold |
| 2017 Saint Petersburg | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2021 Doha | -90 kg | Silver | |
| IJF Grand Slam | 2014 Baku | -90 kg | Bronze |
| 2016 Baku | -100 kg | Gold | |
| 2017 Abu Dhabi | -90 kg | Silver | |
| 2018 Paris | -90 kg | Silver | |
| 2019 Ekaterinburg | -90 kg | Silver | |
| 2019 Osaka | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2020 Düsseldorf | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2021 Tel Aviv | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2021 Baku | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2022 Tbilisi | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2022 Budapest | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2022 Abu Dhabi | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2023 Tel Aviv | -90 kg | Gold | |
| IJF Grand Prix | 2014 Samsun | -90 kg | Gold |
| 2014 Ulaanbaatar | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2014 Havana | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2015 Tbilisi | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2015 Düsseldorf | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2016 Samsun | -100 kg | Gold | |
| 2016 Tbilisi | -100 kg | Bronze | |
| 2017 Düsseldorf | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2019 Tbilisi | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2019 Budapest | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2019 Zagreb | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2022 Zagreb | -90 kg | Gold | |
| Pan American Open | 2016 Lima | -100 kg | Gold |
| 2016 Buenos Aires | -100 kg | Gold | |
| European Open | 2013 Tbilisi | -90 kg | 5th |
| 2015 Rome | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| U23 / Junior / Cadet | |||
| European U23 Championships | 2016 Tel Aviv | -90 kg | Gold |
| World Juniors Championships | 2011 Cape Town | -81 kg | Bronze |
| 2013 Ljubljana | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2013 Ljubljana | Men's team | Gold | |
| 2014 Fort Lauderdale | -90 kg | Bronze | |
| 2014 Fort Lauderdale | Men's team | Silver | |
| 2015 Abu Dhabi | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2015 Abu Dhabi | Men's team | Silver | |
| European Junior Championships | 2012 Poreč | -81 kg | Silver |
| 2013 Sarajevo | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2014 Bucharest | -90 kg | Gold | |
| 2014 Bucharest | Men's team | Gold | |
| 2015 Oberwart | -90 kg | Gold | |
| World Cadets Championships | 2009 Budapest | -81 kg | Gold |
| 2011 Kyiv | -81 kg | Gold | |
| European Cadet Championships | 2011 Cottonera | -81 kg | Gold |
| European Youth Olympic Festival | 2011 Trabzon | -81 kg | Gold |
6. World Ranking
As of February 23, 2023, Beka Gviniashvili held the 12th position in the IJF World Ranking list with 4670 points. His consistent performance at Grand Slams, Grand Prix, and World Masters events has allowed him to maintain a high competitive standing within the international judo community, reflecting his strong presence in the 90 kg category.