Teddy Riner won the Paris Judo Grand Slam on Sunday at Bercy, winning the final against the Japanese Hyoga Ota, a year and a half before the Paris Olympics. The Frenchman, who injured his ankle last August, won the prestigious Parisian tournament for the seventh time in his career.
Teddy Riner won the Paris Judo Grand Slam on Sunday at Bercy, winning the final against the Japanese Hyoga Ota, a year and a half before the Paris Olympics. The Frenchman, who injured his ankle last August, won the prestigious Parisian tournament for the seventh time in his career. He thus equals the record of the Frenchwoman Lucie Décosse.
In the final, the 33-year-old colossus was declared the winner on penalties before the end of regulation time, as in the previous round against Uzbek Alisher Yusupov. For his entry into the running, three years after his last appearance at Bercy, the Guadeloupean had defeated Bahraini Azamat Chotchaev in an expeditious manner, scoring an ippon after 29 seconds.
Back from injury
In the next round, he needed 2 min 35 sec to defeat Kazakh Adil Orazbayev, surprise winner of Brazilian double Olympic medalist Rafael Silva. Then in the quarter-finals, the fight against Azerbaijani Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov went to extra time.
Back from injury, Riner was playing his first Grand Slam in Paris since winning the Budapest Grand Slam in July 2022, which marked his return to international competition after his long post-Tokyo Olympics break. Last October, the ten-time world champion was forced to forfeit the Worlds in Uzbekistan due to a sprained right ankle. He had returned to competition in the final of the Champions League by teams disputed in Georgia on November 26 with his club PSG.
Source: Europe1
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
