Cypriot Judoka Giorgos Balartzisvili, won the Oceania Open in the 66kg category, defeating Finland’s Luukas Saha, ranked No. 11 in the world, in the final.
With this tremendous victory, Balartzisvili is expected to move up from world No. 75 to around No. 35, an impressive leap that confirms his strong upward trajectory.
According to a press release, Petros Christodoulides, was also competing in the 66kg category, coming off his victory at the Lima Pan American Open in October. Christodoulides reached the semifinals, where he lost from Balartzisvili in an all-Cypriot clash. Christodoulides recently moved up to the 66kg division from 60kg and is gradually adapting to the new category. He went on to fight for the bronze medal, where he lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chong-You Lin, ranked No. 52 in the world.
Following his recent success in Peru, Petros Christodoulides currently sits at No. 100 in the world rankings and is expected to climb to around No. 70. In a very short period, he continues to ascend the steps of the world ranking list, confirming his steady progress and dynamic development in international judo.
In the 73kg category, Kypros Andreou also competed but lost his first match to Australian judoka Kohsei Toyoshima, who eventually went on to win the bronze medal.
After Australia, the team will travel to Japan for a one-month training camp and will also compete in the Tokyo Grand Slam, scheduled for December 6-7.