Inal Tasoev rules +100kg with authority

If there was any doubt about who owns the heavyweight division right now, the rankings have settled it. Inal Tasoev sits on top of the +100kg world rankings, well clear of his closest rival, Georgia’s Guram Tushishvili. And the gap was not built quietly. Tasoev put together one of the most dominant heavyweight seasons we have seen in years.

Paris: power, speed and zero hesitation

Tasoev set the tone early by bulldozing the Paris Grand Slam. From the opening round, he looked a level above. France’s Matheo Akiana Mongo was sent flying with a brutal tsuri-goshi, classic Russian heavyweight judo at full volume. Japan’s Yuta Nakamura followed, flattened by a perfectly timed ouchi-gaeshi for ippon.

In the semi final, Tasoev showed he is far more than just raw force, dropping under Belgium’s Toma Nikiforov with a slick drop kata-guruma. It only scored waza-ari, but the message was clear. In the final, South Korea’s Lee Seungyeob had no answers as Tasoev combined ouchi-gari straight into sasae-tsurikomi-ashi for a clean ippon. Statement made.

Tbilisi: beating the house and the king

Tbilisi was more of the same, just louder. Against Turkey’s Recep Ergin, Tasoev ran through the full highlight reel: uchimata for waza-ari, kata-guruma for yuko, sumi-otoshi for ippon. Against Jur Spijkers of the Netherlands, it was sasae-tsurikomi-ashi, ippon, done.

The semi final saw Georgia’s Irakli Demetrashvili launched by a huge tani-otoshi that shook the arena. Then came the final everyone wanted: Tasoev vs Tushishvili, on Georgian soil. No panic, no drama. Tasoev dropped under with drop seoi-nage, scored yuko, and shut it down. Silence in Tbilisi.

Europeans: grinding when needed

At the European Championships, Tasoev proved he can win ugly when necessary. Stephan Hegyi went down to osoto-gari for ippon. Finland’s Martti Puumalainen followed the same way. Against Czech legend Lukas Krpalek, it was tight, tactical, and decided by a single yuko from ura-nage.

The all-Russian clash with Valerii Endovitskii was a chess match. They knew each other too well. It took Golden Score and a perfectly timed uki-otoshi for Tasoev to finally separate them.

Worlds: rivalry renewed, pressure absorbed

Budapest confirmed everything. Tasoev opened by beating Ergin again, this time with kosoto-gari for yuko. Uzbekistan’s Muzaffarbek Turoboyev tried to disrupt him with repeated Khabarelli attempts, but Tasoev stayed calm, countered for waza-ari and later pinned him for waza-ari-awasete-ippon.

Teammate Tamerlan Bashaev was next, stopped by a direct tani-otoshi for yuko. In the semi final, Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov was caught with uchimata for waza-ari.

The final brought Tushishvili again. The Georgian struck first with a counter for yuko. No panic. Tasoev adjusted, stayed patient and answered back with hiza-guruma for waza-ari. Another big one in the rivalry column.

Tokyo: the only blemish

Tasoev was one win away from a perfect season. Then came Tokyo. He started fast, smashing Taiwan’s Yang Hao-Ting with kosoto-gake for ippon in under ten seconds. Japan’s Kanta Nakano went down next to a low drop ouchi-gari for yuko.

Then came the shock. Japan’s Hyoga Ota caught Tasoev with a massive uchimata. Only waza-ari on the board, but enough to knock him into the bronze fight. Against South Korea’s rising star Kim Minjong, Tasoev kept it tight, scored yuko on a counter and walked away with bronze. Damage limited.

The heavyweight benchmark

One loss. That’s it. Across Grand Slams, Europeans and Worlds, Tasoev has combined classic heavyweight power with modern mobility, drop attacks and patience under pressure. He does not just win, he controls.

For now, the rankings tell the story.
Tasoev leads. Tushishvili chases.

Back to the overview