AGENCIES/TNN
Doha
French heavyweight Teddy Riner claimed a historic 11th world title with victory over Inal Tasoev in the men’s +100kg final at the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha on Saturday (13 May).
The 34-year-old defeated his rival by waza ari after three minutes and 41 seconds of golden score time, providing a stunning conclusion to what had been a tightly fought contest.
Moments before, Tasoev had been in pursuit of Riner throughout the match, countering with tenacity. He tried to win with his own waza ari, but the referee deemed it invalid. Sensing the moment, Riner went in for the win.
As the result was confirmed the Frenchman raised his arms in acknowledgement of the raucous crowd who had been cheering him on before then dipping into a forward roll and then staying on the floor, soaking up his achievement, too exhausted to return to his feet.
“I won mentally. I had a sleepless night. People think it’s easy, but it’s hard,” Riner said to Chaine L’Equipe afterwards.
“[The 11th title] brings me pride, given how difficult it is to get. The work behind it... But when you work, it pays off. Even if it’s hard.”
Riner’s route to his record-extending world gold was far from a simple one. With no seeded status to protect him, owing to his No.18 world ranking, the Frenchman faced a series of strong contenders from the outset.
After a string of uneasy victories topped by a breathless near-eight minute-long fight against 2022 World Championship silver medallist Saito Tatsuru of Japan in the quarterfinals, Riner came alive in the semi-final against World No 1 Temur Rakhimov.
The three-time Olympic gold medallist needed just 28 seconds to dispatch the Tajik, winning by ippon and setting him up for a final against Tasoev.
Riner’s quest in Qatar for many was seen as a litmus test of form ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics where the judoka will be a home favourite to medal.
The mixed team competitions are scheduled to begin tomorrow, Sunday, May 14th. Each team consists of three men and three women from different weight categories who will compete in a series of matches, with each member facing an opponent from another country.
Khalid bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who serves as both the President of Qatar Karate, Judo, and Taekwondo Federation and the Vice President and General Director of the Local Organising Committee received a black belt fromMarius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation, in recognition of his valuable contributions to the Judo community.
