"We are united for a common goal: ten medals at the Olympic Games in Paris." At the conclusion of the Doha World Championships, Stéphane Nomis, the president of the French Judo Federation, was not afraid to announce ambitious goals for the 2024 Olympic Games: he wants to see the French judokas win two-thirds of the 15 medals in the discipline and if possible with a maximum of gold.
The beautiful French harvest in Qatar gives the president reasons to be optimistic: two gold, three silver and two bronze medals, the best total since 2014 for the French delegation. Only the country of judo, Japan, does better.
It was the latter who deprived the team of France of a coronation in the mixed team event in a cruel scenario. While they led three sets to one, the Blues were up three to three and had to lose in the decisive fight after an interminable golden score and a controversial decision against Margaux Pinot.
>> Read also: Tokyo 2021: how France became the other country of judo
No matter: "We are on schedule" for the Paris Games, said Bastien Puget, the Deputy National Technical Director of Les Bleus.
The France was able to bounce back after a more than disappointing 2022 championships in Tashkent. At the time, French judokas had won only one gold medal, three bronze and signed a sad zero points in the men's category, raising fears of a crisis for "the other country of judo".
Riner and Agbégnénou at the rendezvous
A crisis finally quickly contained, thanks to the return of the two figureheads of French judo. Teddy Riner (+100 kg) and Clarisse Agbégnénou (-63 kg) made their comeback on the world stage, after six years of absence for Riner and maternity leave for Agbégnénou.
Both cadors were impressive, winning a sixth and eleventh world title respectively. "They were simply huge, both tactically, physically and in terms of judo, it was extraordinary," said Bastien Puget.
All proud of our Blues! 🥹🇫🇷
They thrilled us from beginning to end! The podium of our French with their beautiful silver medal! 🤩🥈
Thank you team! 🫶👏
📸 France Judo/T.Albisetti#JudoWorlds #GoLesBleus #FierdEtreJudoka pic.twitter.com/XCMdsURUMk
— France Judo (@francejudo) May 14, 2023
"It's not a surprise," said Baptiste Leroy, the boss of the men's team. "Clarisse and Teddy have been the leaders of the France team for over ten years. What's reassuring is that in a year's time they'll be here, they'll be in good shape."
They will be there to support the France team for the team tournament while in Doha the federation had exempted them. From this observation, the silver medal against Japan is all the more beautiful.
Men take comfort
After the disappointment of Tashkent, the Blues won this time two medals with the bronze of Walide Khyar (-66 kg) in addition to the gold of Teddy Riner.
"Compared to the delegation that was in Tashkent, it's easy to gargle with Teddy's title, but he is part of the team," said Baptiste Leroy. "We still have a medal and not the least in the -66 kg category where there are (Japanese) Hifumi Abe and Joshiro Maruyama."
"We have reserves," he assured, pointing to the good dynamics of the non-medalists of the day: "Alpha Djalo (-81 kg) makes four medals in a row in tournament, he is not very far. Luka Mkheidze (-60 kg) is an Olympic medalist so other athletes arrived at this championship with enough to defend good chances. It didn't necessarily express itself there, but it's encouraging for Paris."
Five women's titles but no gold
As at the Tokyo Olympics, the women of the France team went for a title, three silver medals and a bronze: "It lacks gold!", noted the boss of the Blues, Christophe Massina.
The women's team will enter the Paris Games in a year's time with "really, really big" ambitions, he continued. "We're moving forward. What I like is the state of mind, it's this courage, this determination and this will to fight at every moment."
If the record of the number of medals is the same as in Tokyo two years ago, new faces have appeared on the podiums this year with Audrey Tcheuméo, Shirine Boukli and Julia Tolofua, absent or non-medalists in Tokyo. "It shows the pool, the collective," Massina said. "I'm very proud of this team."
The big misfire on the other hand came from Romane Dicko, reigning world champion and world No. 1 in +78 kg, who exploded physically in her first fight. "We will analyze cold and discuss with her to understand exactly what happened," he said.
A damaging setback while Romane Dicko is often tipped to be the figurehead of French judo when Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbégnénou bow out after Paris-2024. "It may be the right time for Romane to live this kind of unpleasant moment but I have no doubt about his ability to bounce back," said Christophe Massina.
French sport relies on its judokas. They alone had won nearly a quarter of the French delegation's total medals at the Tokyo Olympics (8 out of 33). In 2024, French judo will have to be at the rendezvous if the France wants to achieve the disproportionate goal of 80 medals demanded by Emmanuel Macron.
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