Clarisse Agbegnenou in gold for the sixth time – Liberation

Clarisse Agbegnenou, the 30-year-old double Olympic champion from Tokyo, beat Slovenian Andreja Leski, 12th in the world, by ippon in the final and regains her world crown, just eleven months after giving birth to her first child. “I couldn’t ask for moreshe reacted to the microphone of the chain l’Equipe. I knew the road was going to be very hard, and I can say that ten months after giving birth, barely eleven months, I came back, even if there are still things to work on before Paris 2024. Agbegnenou, who therefore still completes his immense record, indicated that he had “worked a lot, cried a lot too” for this title. Asked about the tensions with the French Judo Federation, in particular about her personal equipment supplier, she indicated that she had not come to Qatar. “for revenge” and be “glad to have put things aside in [sa] head”.

In the semi-finals, despite being frightened during a combat phase on the ground, the 30-year-old Frenchwoman, present in Qatar with her 11-month-old daughter, Athéna, beat by ippon the Canadian Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, world number 2 and reigning vice-world champion. In the first round, Agbegnenou beat Serbian Anja Obradovic, 30th in the world, after 3 minutes 45 seconds of combat.

She then won by ippon in overtime against Cuba’s Maylin del Toro Carvajal. She delivered a close fight against the 16th world and recent finalist of the Grand Slam of Tel Aviv. In the third round, against the Israeli Gili Sharir, 7th in the world and winner of the Grand Slam in Paris in early February, she was again forced into extra time, before winning by waza-ari.

Since her return, the double Olympic champion from Tokyo, also five-time world champion, has played two competitions, the first with her club at the end of 2022, then the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv last February. Before the Worlds, she had confided that she was not yet at 100% of her abilities.