Alkass Digital
French judo star Teddy Riner yesterday proved why he is regarded as one of the greatest in the history of sport, winning his 11th world title ending a six-year drought.
At the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, the six-foot-eight-inch tall judoka defeated Russian Inal Tasoev – who competed as a neutral athlete - in the +100kg men’s final to reign supreme at a IJF World Championship for the first time since 2017 Marrakesh.
The 34-year-old, the hot favourite in the heavyweight category, defeated his rival by waza ari after three minutes and 41 seconds of golden score time in front of thousands of spectators on the final day of the individual competitions of Doha 2023.
“I won mentally. I had a sleepless night. People think it’s easy, but it’s hard,” Riner told L’Equipe afterwards.
“[It] brings me pride, given how difficult it is to get. The work behind it... But when you work, it pays off. Even if it’s hard,” Riner, who has ended up on the podium at every Olympic Games since 2008, said.
On his way to the title clash, the five-time European champion and four-time World Masters title-holder Riner faced a series of strong contenders.
He defeated the 2022 World Championship silver medallist Saito Tatsuru of Japan in the quarterfinals in a thrilling contest which lasted close to eight minutes, before eliminating World No 1 Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan in the semi-final.
Earlier, Japan’s Akira Sone - the reigning Olympic champion - defeated French opponent Julia Tolofua in the women’s over 78kg class final to win her second World gold.
Also yesterday, President of Qatar Karate, Judo, and Taekwondo Federation Khalid bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who is also serving as the Vice President and General Director of the Local Organising Committee, received a black belt from the IJF President Marius Vizer, in recognition of his valuable contributions to the Judo community.
Meanwhile, the mixed team competitions will be held today, with each team consisting of three men and three women from different weight categories set to compete in a series of matches to conclude the highly successful IJF World Championships - Doha 2023.