The big star of the French delegation Teddy Riner is aiming for a third consecutive Olympic title in judo in the category of + 100 kilos.

Favorite to his own succession, the French judoka approaches the Tokyo Games with some uncertainties since his left knee injury a few months before the big meeting.

Teddy Riner is aiming for a pass of three at the Tokyo Olympics. Friday, the world judo superstar will play his fourth Olympic tournament in the top category of + 100 kilos to try to win a third gold medal, after London 2012 and Rio 2016. While the Tokyo Olympics were postponed by ' one year due to the pandemic, the 32-year-old tricolor giant had to continue his preparation and injured his left knee a few months ago, as told in a documentary broadcast on France 2 on July 21. Teddy Riner suffered a tear in his posterior cruciate ligament at the end of February during an internship in Morocco and had to wear a custom-made brace for two months. A serious injury that had not been made public until then.

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"It consolidated faster than expected"

The ten-time world champion, 138 kilos in the balance, therefore approaches this new Olympic meeting in far from ideal conditions. Already in February 2020, the year the Games were postponed and a few weeks after resuming competition, Teddy Riner lost his fight against the Japanese Kogoro Kageura in the Grand Slam in Paris, his first defeat since 2010. The Frenchman had time to recover from this unexpected setback in front of his fans, but his preparation is marked by the fragility of his injury. "At that time, I thought I had made my cruciate (ligaments)," he told AFP, who questioned him at the end of June after the screening of the documentary by France Televisions which gave him is devoted to the press.

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"I thought I was going to take seven months and that it was screwed up (...) It was consolidated, it went faster (than expected)," he reassured.

"Of course, every now and then (my knee) hurts, but that doesn't stop me from training, it doesn't stop me from going after myself. cool, that's the positive point, clearly ".

Since the introduction of judo at the Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo, where the events had already been held at the Budokan, only one fighter has managed to win three titles: the Japanese Tadahiro Nomura, winner in 1996, 2000 and 2004 in -60 kg.

A complex draw

In 2021, Teddy Riner gave a first response by winning with authority at the Doha Masters in January, the only competition he has played this year, but that did not allow him to grab a leading status. series at the Olympics.

"Obviously, I would say that I only have 50% of benchmarks compared to the competition, since it is lost. But I will arrive in a great state of form and in good shape", he assured end June, one month before the big deadline.

D-7 before an appointment that I have been waiting for years Thank you all for your many feedback on the doc and your messages of support, glad you liked pic.twitter.com/alprIDLF82

- Teddy Riner (@teddyriner) July 23, 2021

Among his main rivals in +100 kg, there will be the Japanese Hisayoshi Harasawa, his victim in the final in 2016 in Rio, who, like all his compatriots, like the star Shohei Ono, Uta Abe or his brother Hifumi, is eagerly awaited for these Games, which are played at home despite the absence of an audience.

In the first round already, the French judoka will have to get rid of the Austrian Stephan Hegyi against whom he had experienced a lot of difficulties in Paris in 2020. Then he could rub shoulders with the Israeli Or Sasson, whom he had beaten in half. finals in Rio in 2016. A complicated draw while the Frenchman does not advance in the best physical condition.

All eyes on Riner

The day after the individual competition, Teddy Riner will have a new title shot with the mixed team event introduced for the first time at the Olympics.

"It's a great goal and we have a great team to succeed. I'm going, I can also be triple Olympic champion with this event, or quadruple! It's not a medal that we minimize," a- he declared.

Departure for Tokyo advanced because of the typhoon which arrives on the Himeji region Thank you all for this warm welcome and big thoughts for the inhabitants who will go through difficult times pic.twitter.com/0XiCbKSI73

- Teddy Riner (@teddyriner) July 26, 2021

Arrived in Tokyo, the French judo superstar said he was closely scrutinized by the Japanese media, in the country of judo. On Monday, Teddy Riner had to leave his base camp in the Himeji region, west of the Japanese capital, earlier than expected due to the arrival of a typhoon. New uncertainties that the Frenchman must overcome, but there is no doubt that his shoulders will be broad enough to shine again at the Games, in the temple of judo.