Teddy Riner will not pass the pass of three.

While all eyes were on him, Friday, July 30, in Tokyo, the colossus lost in the quarter-finals.

In a fight that he seemed to master against world No.1, Russian Tamerlan Bashaev, the two-time Olympic champion was countered in overtime and beaten on waza-ari.

Teddy Riner lost to Tamerlan Bashaev (ROC) in the quarterfinals.

He will fight in the repechage around 10:35 am.

🇫🇷 # UneSeuleEquipe # Tokyo2020 #FierdEtreJudoka pic.twitter.com/yFndIXZ3vB

- France Judo (@francejudo_) July 30, 2021

The tournament is not over for the French giant who will fight in the repechage to hope to win a bronze medal.

But the disappointment is immense at the height of the challenge he had launched.

Teddy Riner wanted to win a third consecutive Olympic champion title in judo, in the cradle of his sport.

Nomura's record remains intact

From his first belts received on the carpets of the Aquaboulevard to his ippons worked on those of a club close to the Buttes-Chaumont park, the 32-year-old sportsman, child of Paris and Guadeloupe, took the roads who led him today to Nippon Budokan, the temple of judo.

In history, only one judoka, the Japanese Tadahiro Nomura, managed to become a triple Olympic champion.

It was in the under 60 kg category, in 2000, 2004 and 2008. An unprecedented feat in judo, both for men and women, and still unique.

For Teddy Riner, the task promised to be complex, due to an injury contracted five months ago to the cruciate ligament of the left knee, and only revealed recently.

The day had started well.

Standing 2.03m tall and with some 140kg of muscle, he started his tournament with a quick victory by ippon over Austria's Stephan Hegyi.  

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

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

Teddy Riner gives up his place in the quarterfinals.

😞


But such an athlete will forever be a champion!

✨🥋 Hold



your head up Teddy, you are an example to all of us.

🙏 @ teddyriner I @EquipeFRA I @Judo I @francejudo_ pic.twitter.com/9XGrcZZf9O

- # Tokyo2020 in French (@ Tokyo2020fr) July 30, 2021

With AFP

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