Paris (AFP)

Tokyo, he thinks about it "every day": Teddy Riner, who will be seeking a new third coronation in heavyweights at the Olympic Games in less than six months, launches his Olympic year at the prestigious Paris tournament on Sunday.

Bercy has no longer seen the reigning double Olympic champion and tenfold world champion (eight times in +100 kg, twice in all categories) on its mats for seven years. Around him, it is all and all the best French judokas or almost (Amandine Buchard is forfeited, touched in one eye) who will fight from Saturday, in particular the quadruple world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63 kg).

"It's a great date in my calendar. It is very well placed in my preparation. It will give me a + shoot + pressure, which will allow me to prepare myself at all levels: judo, a tournament where it will be necessary to hold a whole day, of the world which puts you under pressure because you must not lose, to be perfect on the mat with the new rules ... ", lists Riner.

"It's a whole scheme that will do me good six months from the Games. It is important to put an alert, to go see how you really are, what color are the visionaries really," he continues. .

"It's a rehearsal, it will perhaps be the strongest tournament of the year in which he will participate before the Games," exposes his coach to Insep Franck Chambily.

- "Immediately assert yourself" -

The challenge is to "assert yourself immediately" at the start of 2020, (to say) now I'm here, I'm preparing for the Olympic Games ", he added.

Because we finally saw little Riner (30 years old) fighting since his big comeback on the tatami mats last summer after twenty months without competition. He won at the Montreal Grand Prix in early July, then three months later at the Grand Slam in Brasilia, to bring his winning streak, which started more than nine years ago, to 152 fights.

But the rest of his fall was disrupted by a broken rib in training after the Brazilian tournament: he was forced to give up tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Perth (Australia) in the following weeks and was deprived of judo between "three and four weeks", specifies Chambily.

"It slowed it down, it was not very serious, but it must not happen anymore," he said to AFP.

Where is Riner then? At "60%" of its optimal form, according to Chambily, between "75 and 80%" according to him.

"He did judo, physique, he is in good health, but he is still a little heavy. He has to lose weight, and in terms of benchmarks, he lacks competition, and a background of "training in judo and physics", explains the trainer.

"I'm super happy with my progress in preparation, judo and physical level. And in my head, I feel more than good," replied Riner.

- "Scramble the radars" -

In addition to an "inventory", in the words of Chambily, the Paris tournament is an opportunity to garner 1,000 points in the world ranking for Riner. This capital would allow him, he who has generally been very rare in competition since his second Olympic coronation in Rio in 2016, to climb in the world hierarchy and to be able to claim a potentially more favorable picture in Tokyo.

The boss of the queen category plans two additional outings then: the Grand Prix of Morocco (700 points in play), in Rabat at the beginning of March (from 6 to 8), and a final competition "not yet defined in May-June". Neither Riner, who recognizes the "desire to jam the radars to be quiet on certain competitions", nor his entourage say more for the moment.

What he repeats, on the contrary, is his unwavering ambition to become the very first heavyweight triple Olympic champion. A feat hitherto only achieved in light weights by the Japanese Tadahiro Nomura (1996, 2000 and 2004).

"Everything I do, I do for Tokyo, nothing else," insists Riner. "What makes me move is this gold medal. I want it, clearly. If there weren't that at the end ... "

© 2020 AFP