French judoka Teddy Riner has not yet launched his qualification campaign for the 2028 Olympic Games due to a right shoulder injury, raising questions about his path to Los Angeles. rmcsport.bfmtv.com reported that the 37-year-old triple individual Olympic champion plans to begin his bid in mid-2027, prioritizing physical health over early world rankings.
The qualification window for the Los Angeles Games officially opened in June 2026. While continental events such as the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games saw South Korea secure its first judo gold of the competition when Huh Mimi won the under-57kg division against Mongolia’s Ariunzaya Terbish, according to fr.yna.co.kr, the heavyweight division remains without its most decorated competitor.
Shoulder Injury Delays 2028 Qualification Plans
Riner missed the recent world championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Russian heavyweight Inal Tasoev claimed the division’s spotlight in his absence. rmcsport.bfmtv.com noted that a right shoulder injury also kept the French judoka away from the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. Riner stated during a contract extension with PSG Judo that he aims to start his qualification push between June and July 2027.
Looking ahead to the 2027 calendar, Riner faces an estimated 22 tournaments—including Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and Masters events—alongside two European championships and two world championships before the qualification cutoff. When asked if that schedule is sufficient, Riner told rmcsport.bfmtv.com, “That’s enough, isn’t it?” He added, “It’s not like I don’t know how to prepare for the Olympic Games. I know exactly how I’m going to leave and with whom. I’m not worried.”
Ranking Goals and Federation Concerns
To secure a favorable seeding for the Los Angeles Games, Riner has set a target of reaching the top 10 in the heavyweight division. Finishing within the top eight guarantees a seeded position and a theoretically more manageable draw. For comparison, securing the eighth spot in the heavyweight division for the Paris 2024 Games required 4,294 points—equivalent to roughly two consecutive world titles or four Grand Slam victories and a fifth-place finish.
With no points currently to his name following a prolonged break since his gold medal performance at Paris 2024, French Judo Federation Stéphane Nomis voiced caution during an appearance on RMC. rmcsport.bfmtv.com reported Nomis as saying, “He is very sure of himself. For the Games, it’s not going to be as simple as he thinks. To be in the top 8, you need quite a few points. I think he will be in the top 17, but I’m not sure he will be in the top 8.” Nomis recalled that Riner missed the top eight ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, leading to a difficult quarterfinal matchup against Russia’s Tamerlan Bashaev.
Strategic Scheduling and the Road to Switzerland
Riner plans to contest between four and six major competitions to accumulate the necessary ranking points without overtaxing his body. The ultimate qualifying deadline arrives in mid-2028, immediately following the world championships in Switzerland, where athletes must rank among the top 17 in their category—limited to one per nation—one month prior to the opening ceremony in Los Angeles.
Whether Riner will participate in the 2027 World Championships in Kazakhstan remains undecided as he coordinates his return with his coaching staff. “Reaching world number one is not my objective. Reaching the top 10 is my objective,” Riner told rmcsport.bfmtv.com. “I don’t know yet if I will do the worlds. It might be a good number of tournaments. And then, after that, it will also be discussions with my staff. See which competitions, at what moment and why.”
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