"It bodes well for Paris-2024," said the two-time Tokyo Olympic champion as soon as she left the tatami, after her victory by ippon against Slovenian Andreja Leski, 12th in the world.

"I'm so proud of myself and my daughter," she continued. "Frankly, she's great, she let me sleep a little. I left her a little alone, I'm sorry, but I promised her that I would bring her this beautiful gold medal. That's it, and I'm going to put it around his neck."

Absent from the last edition of the Worlds due to maternity leave, Agbégnénou signed in Qatar her great return to the world scene with her golden bib of Olympic champion.

"I think undeniably there is a psychological aspect. The boss is back and that worried everyone, "had anticipated his coach Ludovic Delacotte just after his qualification for the final.

Scaling up

Since her resumption, the Frenchwoman, now six-time world champion, had played only two competitions, the first with her club at the end of 2022, then the Tel Aviv Grand Slam last February.

France's Clarisse Agbegnenou during her final win of the World Judo Championships on May 10, 2023 in Doha © KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

"When I arrived here, I thought +it's going to be a bit hot to go for a title+. I knew I had the level to have a medal but the title, I still lacked little things to settle. And finally (...) everything went well," she said.

Her day of competition began with a first-round victory over Serbian Anja Obradovic, ranked 30th in the world, after 3:45 of fighting. She then won by ippon in overtime against the Cuban Maylin Del Toro Carvajal, delivering a fight against the 16th world and recent finalist of the Tel Aviv Grand Slam.

In the third round, against Israel's Gili Sharir, 7th in the world and winner of the Grand Slam of Paris in early February, she was again forced to overtime, before winning by waza-ari.

Then she stepped up in the quarterfinals, dominating by ippon the Canadian Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, world No. 2 and vice-world champion in title, despite a scare during a phase of ground fighting.

The picture brightened after the early elimination of the two Japanese women -- "Thank you comrades for sweeping some girls a little," she said with a smile -- the Frenchwoman found herself facing in the semifinals the Austrian Lubjana Piovesana, 60th in the world. She then dominated it by ippon in a meticulous way.

"Mum power"

"Clarisse is Clarisse: a great champion, she has shown it again," said her coach in the France team Ludovic Delacotte. "It's not all that opponents lose, you still have to win your matches. That's it, mission accomplished. She was impeccable."

France's Clarisse Agbegnenou celebrates her sixth judo world championship title on May 10 in Doha © KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

As soon as the gong sounded, Agbégnénou mimed with his arms the sign of a cradle in a nod to his daughter Athena present everywhere in Doha: at the athletes' hotel, in the stands and even in the warm-up room where she was still frolicking a few moments before the final.

"I didn't think I'd do it today but I want to say to all the moms and dads who are watching me: +You can do it+. Mum Power, you have to go!" she said.

"She's really a great champion, if anyone doubts it. Do what she did today as she did. Few would have bet on the way and the end result. Once again, she made us Clarisse, "said her coach.

© 2023 AFP