Paris 2024 Olympics: Teddy Riner wins 100kg+ judo gold medal, becoming most decorated Olympic Games judoka of all time
Published 02/08/2024 at 17:46 GMT
France’s Teddy Riner cemented his position as the most decorated Olympic judoka ever, securing his third individual gold in the 100kg+ class to go with victories at London 2012 and Rio 2016. The 35-year-old Parisian completed his hat-trick in front of a partisan home crowd, successfully throwing a harai-goshi move to register a match-winning ippon with 16 seconds to go.
'He's done it in style' - Riner celebrates as French fans go wild after judo gold
Teddy Riner was victorious in the 100kg+ judo tournament at Paris 2024, cementing his position as an all-time great of the sport with his third individual Olympic gold.
The Parisian was up against the reigning world champion, South Korea's Kim Min-jong, in the final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena and left it late in what was a cagey affair.
Both judoka were penalised for shido (non combativity) with 31 seconds left, but the 35-year-old held his nerve.
He bided his time before successful throwing a harai-goshi move, registering an ippon with 16 seconds to go, claiming another Olympic title in front of an adoring home crowd.
The victory is another in an already extraordinary career, and marks a fifth consecutive medal in the Olympic tournament, with bronzes at Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020, plus golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
His route to the final hadn't been without incident, though. Riner's quarter-final match against Guram Tushishvili ended in controversy, when his Georgian opponent kicked out, shouted in the Frenchman's face and struck him in the head with his knee after succumbing to a tani otoshi move.
Disqualified - Watch the moment Tushishvilli lashes out at Riner
Tushishvili was later disqualified from the tournament for actions that Frederique Jossinet called "pitiful".
Riner didn't let the incident affect him, though, overcoming Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov in less than two minutes in the semi-final, before getting the better of Kim Minjong in the gold medal match.
He won't be able to celebrate his victory too enthusiastically, as he's back at the Champ-de-Mars Arena on Saturday for the mixed team tournament.
And with France the reigning champions, he'll be looking to add another victory to crown a golden Olympic Games.
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