Judo Olympic champion Teddy Riner powers to Grand Slam Hungary 2022 title
A year after his last international appearance at the Tokyo Olympics, the 10-time heavyweight world champion from France beat Joao Cesarino, Ushangi Kokauri, Gela Zaalishvili, and Jelle Snippe to win the title.
Judo
It was as if French judo star Teddy Riner had never been away, as he powered to the Grand Slam Hungary 2022 title on Sunday (10 July).
The ten-time heavyweight world champion was competing internationally for the first time since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he won bronze in the +100kg and gold in the mixed team event.
After receiving a first round bye in Group D of the 100kg bracket, Riner needed little over two minutes to dispatch Brazilian Joao Cesarino with an ippon.
With chants of 'Teddy, Teddy', reigning down from the stands, the French judoka beat Azerbaijani World No.9 Ushangi Kokauri on penalties in a tense quarter-final.
His final four opponent was Gela Zaalishvili, who was out to avenge his loss when the pair last met in Doha in January 2021. But the Georgian had no answer to Riner's aggressive start, which almost led to an ippon after 33 seconds.
After two-and-a-half minutes, the Frenchman had worn his rival down sufficiently to claim a third victory in three matches.
But his best performance was fittingly saved for last, needing just 40 seconds to win the final against Dutchman Jelle Snippe by ippon.
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Before the Grand Slam even in Budapest, Riner told Olympics.com: ‘’It's always about winning. What I'm expecting to see is where I stand in comparison to the others, to see whether what I've put in place works.
“I also want to score points. Just because there’s a guaranteed quota doesn’t mean you aren’t looking for a good position in the draw. A strong seeding may be important in order to have as much in my favour as possible at Paris 2024.”
To say that he left nothing to chance would be a strong understatement.
His performance has not only sent out a warning to Riner's rivals that he is back to his best, but also has ensured his place at the World Championships scheduled in Uzbekistan from October 6 to 13.
The combat sport legend aims to compete on home soil at the Paris 2024 Olympics, in search of a third individual Olympic title.