Tokyo (AFP)

Teddy Riner was aiming for a third consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but he was beaten in the quarter-finals on Friday in the +100 kg category and will have to be satisfied, at best, with a bronze medal, while at women, Romane Dicko quietly reached the semi-finals.

The champion has fallen and inevitably, when it comes to Teddy Riner, it makes noise.

In a fight he seemed to master against Russian world No.1 Tamerlan Bashaev, Riner was blocked in overtime and beaten on waza-ari.

Obviously not agreeing with the decision of the referees, Riner made some gestures of spite before leaving the mat very upset.

His dream has passed and in the afternoon, he will have to win two fights to hope for bronze, a metal he had already obtained in 2008 during his first Games in Beijing, when he was only 19 years old.

But in Tokyo, in the country of judo, the Guadeloupe hoped for much more: crowned Olympic champion in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016, he was aiming for a third gold medal, a feat achieved by the only Japanese Tadahiro Nomura, crowned in 1996, 2000 and 2004 in the -60 kg category.

On Friday, Riner had started his tournament with a quick victory by ippon against the Austrian Stephan Hegyi, beaten in just over two minutes.

- Expeditious Dicko -

In the next round, Riner was more hampered by the Israeli Or Sasson, who had been his victim in the semi-finals of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

At first balanced, the fight turned in favor of the French in its second part and Riner won thanks to a waza-ari.

In the quarterfinals, against the small Bashaev (1.75m), whom he had beaten four times out of four, Riner controlled the fight, and the Russian, who competes under a neutral banner because of the doping sanctions affecting his country , was in danger with already two penalties.

But one against him was enough to score a waza-ari.

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For his repechage fight, Riner will face the Brazilian Rafael Silva, Olympic bronze medalist in 2012 and 2016. If he wins, the Frenchman will play a fight for the bronze medal against one of the losers of the semi-finals.

In the other category of the day, things went much better for Romane Dicko.

The double European champion (2018 and 2020) was indeed expeditious with two fights won in less than two minutes to reach the semi-finals.

For a place in the final, the Frenchwoman will face Cuban Idalys Ortiz, Olympic champion in 2012, silver medalist in Rio in 2016 and bronze medalist in Beijing in 2008. If she wins, she will be assured of a medal, d 'gold or silver.

Otherwise, she will face for bronze a fighter from the draft.

© 2021 AFP