The least we can say is that Teddy Riner has been very rare since his surprise defeat against Kokoro Kageura on February 9 during the Grand Slam in Paris. The double Olympic champion took part in the French team championships on October 3, under the colors of Paris Saint-Germain. Beaten that day by Joseph Terhec – on a disputed arbitration decision that he had underlined – he then gave up making the trip to Budapest and had not gone to Prague to compete in the European Championships there either.
However, its resumption seems imminent: “I’m feeling good, and I hope to make my comeback at the next competition, scheduled for January, ” said the ten-time world champion, referring to the Masters which should be held in Doha in two weeks (January 11-13). It is currently the only senior tournament on the 2021 calendar of the International Judo Federation (IJF), which has had to revise its plans many times due to the pandemic.
A surprise guest at JudoFest 2020 this Sunday, Riner made no secret of his longer-term ambition. “My goal is always the same: I hope to win the gold medal (at the Olympics, Editor’s note) in 2021. ” In +100 kg of course, but also during the mixed team event, which will make its Olympic debut next summer. Finally, the Guadeloupe does not rule out pushing his career until Paris 2024. “If I’m not crowned champion in Tokyo, whether in my weight class or with the team, I will still have a chance at the Paris Olympics,” he thus affirmed.
