4 fights, 4 ippons! The last in the final against the Tajik Temur Rakhimov, the world number 2, who nevertheless fought at home, in Dushanbe, in front of his audience. Teddy Riner offered a major performance this Sunday during the Grand Slam in Tajikistan, in +100 kg.
France did not send a large delegation to the Grand Slam in Dushanbe and it only won one medal on Saturday, that of Sarah-Léonie Cysique (- 57 kg).
This Sunday, there were five in the running but only one brought home a charm, the most anticipated: Teddy Riner. His journey to the final was a long, quiet river. The Turk Munir Ertug and the German Losseni Koné did not weigh heavily against the superiority of the Habs. In the semi-finals, the young Russian Denis Batchaev, for his first meeting with the Olympic champion, lasted two minutes 30 before suffering a relentless o-soto-gari. Mission accomplished.
There remained the final against Tajik Temur Rakhimov, world No. 2, at home, but who had not even lasted 30 seconds during their only confrontation, in the semi-finals of the last World Championships. More diligent, the Tajik however resisted the price of conceded penalties, conceding two in less than two minutes. Before a waza-ari from the Frenchman which left no doubt about the outcome of the fight. Indeed, 30 seconds later, he finished the job for an 11th Grand Slam success, the third this year after those in Paris (February 4) and Antalya (March 31), and a strong message sent with a view to the Olympic Games.
The main objective for the French judo giant was above all to glean valuable points during this competition to climb the Olympic ranking and obtain a precious seeded status at the Paris Games to avoid falling on another big client before the last square.
Ninth with 4,000 points before this Grand Slam, he gains 1,000 points with this victory and should make a nice jump in the rankings, which could encourage him to no longer appear in official competition between now and the Olympics, particularly at the Grand Slam. in Kazakhstan next week, and at the Worlds in Abu Dhabi on May 23. This must still be decided in agreement with his staff.
