Teddy Riner beaten on comeback, injury scare for Clarisse Agbegnenou

Teddy Riner was beaten by Guram Tushishvili on his return to action in Gori, Georgia on Saturday (26 November).

The three-time Olympic judo gold medallist was representing Paris Saint-Germain against home team Fighter Tbilisi in the quarter-finals of the men's European Club Championships Champions League.

With Tbilisi 2-1 up with two fights to go, Riner had to win to keep his side in the competition.

Sporting heavy strapping on his right ankle, having sustained ligament damage in training this summer which forced him to miss the World Championships in Uzbekistan, this was Riner's first bout since winning the Budapest Grand Slam in July.

Riner required treatment after about a minute before Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Tushishvili - who was serenaded with chants of "Guram! Guram!" from the crowd - picked up a shido penalty.

Inside the last 30 seconds, Riner was taken down from behind after halt had been called and took his time to regain his footing.

But with 13 seconds remaining, the Frenchman missed with a hip throw and Tushishvili countered to score the only point much to the delight of the home fans.

There was no time for Riner to respond as Tushishvili secured his first win over the Frenchman and sealed a 3-1 victory for Tbilisi with one bout to spare.

Paris Saint-Germain went into the repechage where they faced Spain's Judo Stabia.

Fighting in the +90kg class in this competition, Riner had a considerable weight advantage over two-time -90kg world champion Nikoloz Sherazadishvili.

The Spaniard picked up two shido penalties but forced golden score where Riner threw him for ippon to clinch the win.

There was a nice moment at the end as the pair, both on their knees after the final act, appeared to speak at length about the bout and technique before they went finally back to receive the official decision.

That was the last action of the day for Riner as Stabia's Vedat Albayrak beat Alpha Oumar Djalo by ippon in the decider to send Paris Saint-Germain out of the competition.

Fighter Tbilisi went on to take overall victory when Red Star Belgrade's Saeid Mollaei was disqualified from his decider against Tato Grigalashvili with 43 seconds to go after collecting a third shido penalty.

• Teddy Riner returns to international stage: "I want to see where I stand'

Injury worry for Agbegnenou

Riner's long-term goal is Paris 2024 where he is expected to lead the hosts' challenge on the tatami alongside Tokyo 2020 champion Clarisse Agbegnenou.

Both were part of France's mixed team which won gold at Tokyo 2020 last year.

Agbegnenou led RSC Champigny to a semi-final victory over SL Benfica, beating Britain's Jemima Yeats-Brown by ippon, into the final against fellow French outfit U.S. Orleans Loiret.

But she was forced to retire with what looked like a knee injury against French team-mate Margaux Pinot in the early stages of their meeting.

That gave Orleans an unassailable 3-0 lead and the women's Champions League title.

• How to qualify for judo at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained