British judo rising star Irakli Goginashvili has been named the winner of SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award 2025, becoming the first judoka to receive the prestigious award.
The award follows a landmark year for Goginashvili, who rewrote the history books for British judo by becoming Great Britain’s first male junior European champion in 25 years and securing a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships — the nation’s first male junior world medal in 14 years.
The -73kg judoka, who represents Palavani Judo Club, was selected as the standout athlete from more than 800 emerging talents supported by SportsAid across the UK in 2025.
Reacting to the news, Goginashvili said:
“Being selected as the winner of the 2025 SportsAid One-to-Watch Award is a great feeling. It was completely unexpected. I looked at the list of athletes who have won it in the past and thought, ‘Imagine if I’m the first judo athlete on that list’.
Being the first for judo is a huge step for me, for our club and for the sport.”
Introduced to judo by his father, Goginashvili has been involved in the sport since early childhood, competing from the age of two and standing on podiums by the age of three. A talented all-round sportsperson, he also played rugby before committing fully to judo at the age of nine.
His recent success has been supported by enhanced training environments, including a move to Peacock Gym, providing access to consistent mat time, strength and conditioning facilities and a professional training set-up.
Goginashvili has also highlighted the crucial role played by SportsAid, particularly in enabling him to attend international competitions and training camps.
“SportsAid has been massive for me. Competing abroad is really expensive and without that support, I would have missed out on so many competitions and camps. Those experiences are what lead to results. Knowing that SportsAid believed in me gave me even more motivation.”
Support from SportsAid proved particularly important during Goginashvili’s return from knee surgery, allowing him to rebuild his form through structured training and continued competition exposure — culminating in the biggest results of his young career.
Looking ahead, Goginashvili’s ambition is to become Great Britain’s first male Olympic judo champion, continuing his pattern of breaking new ground for the sport.
The SportsAid One-to-Watch Award, supported by Aldi, SportsAid’s Official Supermarket Partner, has been running since 2006 and recognises Britain’s brightest emerging sporting talents. Previous winners include Olympic champions Tom Daley and Alex Yee, and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.
As overall winner, Goginashvili receives a £1,000 award alongside ongoing recognition and support.
