Injured Teddy Riner is out of the World Judo Championships
Teddy Riner has to pull out of the World Judo Championships next week as the three-time Olympic champion has not fully recovered from an ankle injury sustained at a training camp in August.
Judo
Three-time Olympic championTeddy Riner has withdrawn from the 2022 World Judo Championships due to an ankle injury.
The French superstar announced on Monday that he will not be fit in time for the event in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from 6-13 October.
"As I feared, today's medical examinations have confirmed that I won't be able to get back to judo for a few weeks which is why I can't participate in the next World Championships," wrote Riner on Twitter.
Riner sustained the injury during a training camp in Rabat in August when a sparring partner fell on his ankle. The 33-year-old has not fully recovered from that forcing him to miss the worlds once again.
The ten-time gold medallist - no judoka has won more world titles - has not fought at a World Championship since 2017.
Riner did not want to take any chances aggravating the injury on his road the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“With two years to go before the Olympic Games, I can't take any risks. We'll see you at the World Championships next May in Qatar", he added on Twitter.
Teddy Riner's winning comeback in Budapest
The World Judo Championships was one of Riner's goal in 2022. They would have been his second international tournament of the season.
Almost one year after the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the PSG athlete had made his international comeback in Budapest at the beginning of July, where he won the Hungarian Grand Slam.
Budapest was the beginning of his journey to Paris 2024.
“Paris 2024 is the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps me going. It’s important to have fun when you’re trying to reach an Olympic Games. What gets me up in the morning is my desire to improve every day and surpass myself in order to be ready on D-Day”, said Teddy Riner to Olympics.com in an exclusive interview at the beginning of the summer.
After Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Riner is aiming for his fifth Olympic Games. He has already won two gold medals and two bronze medals in the +100 kg weight category and one gold medal in the team event.