Russia's Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Tamerlan Bashaev will compete at tomorrow's European Mixed Team Judo Championships at Ufa ©EJU

Home hero Tamerlan Bashaev will be among those competing in the European Mixed Team Judo Championships that will be held at Ufa in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan tomorrow.

Bashaev, who famously defeated France’s double Olympic champion Teddy Riner in the men’s over-100 kilograms quarter-final at Tokyo 2020 before taking the bronze medal, is among 140 athletes from 17 nations taking part in the event at the Rima Batalova Center of Sport in a city famous for its oil refining, chemistry, and mechanical engineering industries.

This will be the third edition of the competition which previously took place in 2018 and 2019 at Yekaterinburg and Minsk respectively.

Bashaev will compete in the over-90kg category for Russia, while the women’s under-70kg category will include the Dutch Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Michaela Polleres.

Three years after its initial staging in Yekaterinburg, the European Mixed Team Judo Championships return to Russia tomorrow when they will take place in Ufa ©EJU
Three years after its initial staging in Yekaterinburg, the European Mixed Team Judo Championships return to Russia tomorrow when they will take place in Ufa ©EJU

Other well-known names present who distinguished themselves in Tokyo 2020 competition, despite missing out on medals, include Georgia’s Eterli Liparteliani, Mihael Zgank of Turkey, Mikhail Igolnikov of Russia, Réka Pupp of Hungary and Kayra Sayit of Turkey.

It will be an especially happy return for Igolnikov as he was unable to make an appearance for his final contest in Tokyo.

Making a return to the IJF circuit this year is Asley Gonzalez, formerly of Cuba but now representing Romania.

The 2012 Olympic silver medallist and 2013 world champion switched following the World Championships in 2018 but has since made a comeback in the under-100kg class, taking a silver medal in the Paris Grand Slam.