Judo: Teddy Riner wins his seventh Paris tournament

Winner of his seventh Paris Grand Slam, Sunday, February 5, the double Olympic champion equals the record of Lucie Decosse.

by Vincent Daheron

Teddy Riner succeeded in his return to competition. More than two months after his last fight, the double Olympic champion won Paris Grand Slam, Sunday February 5 at Accor Arena, in Paris, for the seventh time of her career. He equals the record of coronations in the capital of Lucie Decosse. Winner of the Japanese Hyoga OTA in the final of the tournament of more than 100 kg, the Frenchman returned to victory, ten years after his last success in Paris.

In the final, in front of 13,000 spectators entirely acquired to his cause, Teddy Riner took three minutes to win his fight. Aggressive and enterprising from the start, he pushed his opponent to the fault without being disturbed by the smallest size of the Japanese. Hyoga OTA was sanctioned with a penalty three times, giving victory to the tricolor judoka.

Seven at home!
Teddy Riner wins for the 7th time in Bercy, in front of his audience, when he came back from Bulassu… https://t.co/q3izjqfik1

– Lachainelequipe (@la chain the team)

“It’s pleasant, but I know that there is still a lot of work. It is nice to come back after an injury with a victory, he rejoiced at the microphone of the L’Equipe chain. Step by STEP, we continue to prepare the Olympic Games. The old man is still there, and as long as it lasts. I felt good, I was not in a big day, I was at 60-70 % of my abilities. I am happy. “

For his ninth participation in Bercy, the last dates back to 2020 (3 e ), Teddy Riner won his five fights for the day. He was first expeditious against Bahraini Azamat Chotchaev, winning an ippon after twenty-nine seconds. In the next round, he needed two minutes and thirty-five seconds to overcome the Kazakh Adil Orazbayev, surprise winner of the Brazilian Olympic medalist Rafael Silva. In the quarter -finals, the fight against Azerbaijani Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov went to the extension. In the semi-finals, Riner has dismissed Uzbek Alisher Yusupov, 6 global, with penalties before the end of regulation time.

global objective of Doha

This gold medal must allow the Guadeloupe to reassure themselves after a year 2022 somewhat truncated. After his winning return to the Grand Slam of Budapest, in July, the 33 -year -old judoka was severely injured in the ankle. He had been forced to forfeit the Worlds organized in Uzbekistan in October. Since then, Riner had only fought with PSG, in the Champions League on November 26. Initially defeated by the Georgian Guram Tashishvili, the result had then been reversed, the international federation recognizing a fault of arbitration.

The Doha World Championships (from May 7 to 14) represent the next goal of Teddy Riner. Before that, he will carry out several courses abroad, the first of which must start in a week, in Brazil. But only a third Olympic title continues to animate it, more than a year from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “It is not the big Teddy Riner, but that is enough to win, analyzed his coach on Sunday, Franck Chambly . It’s always good to win at home, then it is a rehearsal before the games. He had fun. “

The French clan totaled four gold medals during this Grand Slam Paris. Blandine Pont and Priscilla Gneto won, Saturday, respectively in – 48 kg and -57 kg. Sunday, Audrey Tcheuméo had ahead of Teddy Riner by winning his sixth title at Accor Arena by winning the category of -78 kg.

/Media reports cited above.