Beaten twice by Teddy Riner in the final of the Team Tournament, Tastsuru Saito revealed that he was diminished by an injury.
He was one of the unfortunate heroes of the Paris Games. His distress after his defeat against Teddy Riner during the decisive fight of the Team Tournament had moved the Parisian public. Despite his fierce resistance for more than seven minutes, Tastsuru Saito had to admit defeat, provoking the grief of an entire country. And therefore his immense dismay.
The 22-year-old heavyweight was so dejected that he hesitated to return to the country, considering himself covered with “shame”. Tastsuru Saito, however, had an extenuating circumstance. The Olympic vice-champion, exited in the quarter-finals in the heavyweight tournament, revealed that he was not in full possession of his means during his fights in the team tournament.
Teddy Riner, see you in 2028!
If he did not give details, he indicated in an Instagram post “having lost all strength in his right hand”. The injury was so bad that he was eventually forced to undergo surgery. And according to him, this situation undoubtedly added to his discomfort.
“After the Olympics, it was worse than I thought. After a thorough examination, I had surgery today, he wrote. It was surgery and until I accepted it, it was a mentally painful situation and I was unable to see anyone. Not only because of the injuries, but also the things that have been bad for me so far. »
Three months after his painful Games, Taststuru Saito is now looking to the future and especially towards the Los Angeles Games where he hopes to win two gold medals. He has already arranged to meet Teddy Riner.
