Teddy Riner won the Paris Judo Grand Slam this 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 Frenchman had defeated Bahraini Azamat Chotchaev in an expeditious manner, scoring an ippon after 29 seconds.
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.