France's favorite teddy is delivering the Olympic victory
France's Superstar Teddy Riner wins gold in Paris and becomes the sole record Olympic champion in judo. For Riner, this is his third Olympic individual gold after 2012 and 2016. In 2020, he also secured the team title in Tokyo.
Teddy Riner stood triumphantly in the middle of the Mars Field Arena, deafening cheers from 8500 fans threatening to lift the roof - and then even President Emmanuel Macron rushed from the tribune to hug France's judo superstar: Riner had delivered the promised gold at home, and an entire nation wanted to cuddle their giant Teddy.
"I've always said that hard work pays off. But right now, it's pure, unadulterated joy. I'm so incredibly happy," said the 35-year-old, who with his historic fourth Olympic victory has provided the next big moment for the host nation. At exactly 17:56 on Friday evening, amidst thousands of "Allez, Teddy!" cries, the most successful judoka in history put South Korean champion Kim Min Jong on his back and crowned his legendary career.
In a place that couldn't be more symbolic: The Grand Palais Éphémère, completed in 2021, is just 500 meters away from the Invalides, Napoleon's final resting place. And now, Riner's fame, as the first judoka to win four Olympic golds, should be close to that of the short-statured Bonaparte.
Still the Standard
As for popularity, there's no question: Riner, who carried the French flag at the 2016 Olympics and lit the Olympic flame with athletics legend Marie-José Pérec a week before his gold medal win in Paris, is one of France's greatest sports stars. Definitely very tall: 2.04 meters, 150 kilograms of trained muscle - a human mountain range, a century athlete.
"I was unlucky to have Riner in my age group, otherwise I might have been world champion twice," said Andreas Tölzer, who lost the 2011 World Championship final to the young Riner and 15,000 fanatical French fans. At 1.92 meters and 140 kilograms, the Rhineland giant seemed somewhat small next to Riner. Thirteen years later, Riner is still the standard, winning his third individual gold after 2012 and 2016. He also won bronze in 2008 and 2021, and team gold in 2021.
That Riner is still competing is surprising: A few years ago, after winning everything and multiple times, he was already satisfied. And that's literally true. After the 2017 World Championships, Riner enjoyed life, eating his way up to almost 170 kilograms. "I looked like a tank," said Riner, who was more panda than teddy at the time. But Riner came back, with the dream goal of Paris in mind. And now he wants to continue until Los Angeles 2028. "I don't want to regret not getting everything out of my career," said Riner. And for someone like Riner, there's no better place than Hollywood.
The Olympic Games in Paris marked a historic moment for Teddy Riner, as he secured the gold medal and became the sole record Olympic champion in judo. His triumphant win also clinched the team title for France in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Teddy Riner's unparalleled achievements in judo, earning him four Olympic gold medals, placed him among the most celebrated athletes in French sports history, a status akin to Napoleon Bonaparte.
