Off the tatami, Tckaev, 27, could pass for a graduate student. He wears glasses. He is soft-spoken, reflective and thoughtful. An older brother, Lazar, now 29, competed – for Russia, where the parents still live – roughly 10 years ago. His wife of two years, Diana Tckaeva, 22, is herself a national-level judoka.

Zelim and Diana are new parents: Kamila, their daughter, is 1.

Before the 2026 worlds final, Tckaev and Grigalashvili had fought seven times. Tckaev had won just once, 10 years ago, when both were still juniors. At their most recent fight, in the semifinals of the European championships in April in Tblisi, the Georgian capital, Grigalashvili eked out a narrow victory. Tckaev went on to take bronze. Grigalashvili lost in the finals to Arbuzov.

Here, Tckaev’s wife and brother were at the arena to watch him fight. A rowdy home crowd cheered him at every turn. 

 

“In my mind,” Tckaev said, “the thought was only a gold medal – a gold medal for my family and also for Azerbaijan.”

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For nearly 10 minutes, Tckaev and Grigalashvili pushed, pulled, probed, searching for any advantage, any weakness. 

“Very difficult,” Tckaev said. 

“It’s like a chain,” Grigalashvili said. “Every part of this chain has its meaning. OK, when every part of this chain is strong, in your body and ability, it gives you more power. It gives you more strength.

“This chain includes everything,” he went on, speaking in the Georgian language via a translator. “Training, preparation, friends, fans. Coaches. So, it’s like everything is important. If something is missing, then you are not as strong as you should be. Everything must be together: the weak and the strong links. All together.”

From the official IJF recap of the match:

“These two judoka put everything they had on the tatami, all their spirit, their national pride, their heart. They gave the world of judo an epic battle, first of gripping, then of attacks, counters and survival. They took turns collecting penalties, but everyone was waiting for the score that could decide the contest. It could come at any moment.”

From the website Judo Inside: “Grigalashvili knows better than almost anybody how to finish these major contests. Yet Tckaev refused to allow him to dictate the decisive phase.”