Teddy Riner and Paris Saint-Germain winners of the Champions League

Teddy Riner had not stepped on the tatami since August 3 and this gold medal won as a team with France at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Five months later, in the colors of his team, Paris Saint-Germain, the judoka defeated the Cuban Andy Granda, world champion in 2022 and fifth in the last World Championships in 2024. The latter played with the Red Star of Belgrade. With this victory, Teddy Riner contributed to PSG's 4-0 success in the Champions League final, Saturday December 21, in Montpellier.

Previously, the capital club, supported by 120 young supporters who came specially from Paris with club flags, had beaten Asnières 4-1 in the quarter-finals with a success from Romane Dicko, who was also making her return to the competition after his Olympic bronze medal. She also won the final against Belgrade and won her two bouts by ippon, spending a total of less than a minute on the mat.

A difficult fight

Riner did not participate in these first two rounds of the competition. Entering the final, the judoka received a nice ovation from the spectators present at the FDI Stadium in Montpellier. Far from his best level, he nevertheless won, on penalties, after more than eight minutes of a difficult but unspectacular fight.

Initially, the five-time Olympic champion was not announced in the PSG squad for the competition, due to failure to extend his contract with the Parisian club, which expired on August 31. But an agreement on an extension, the duration of which was not specified, was finally reached on Friday, the day before the competition, to allow the judoka to participate in the end-of-year tournament.