With a gigantic Teddy Riner the day after his third individual Olympic title, the Blues retained their team title against Japan.
At the Arena Champ-de-Mars
Crazy! The French team retained its Olympic title in the most beautiful way this Saturday by dominating Japan after seven fights of monstrous intensity. With a capital hero: Teddy Riner. The man who makes the impossible possible. Like three years ago when he led his troops to this Olympic title in Tokyo, a defeat that the Empire of the Rising Sun experienced as an affront that had to be avenged in Paris. From the outset, Sanshiro Murao launched the Japanese Shinkansen with a golden score victory against Maxime-Gaël Ngayap-Hambou, whom he had already dominated in the semi-finals of the under 90kg. Behind, Romane Dicko could not find the solution against an opponent, Rika Takayama, who was nevertheless playing in the lower category, and Japan made the break.
To get back on track, France could count on its totem Teddy Riner who, at the end of a very stressful fight, managed to add a new ippon to his Paris 2024 collection already well stocked since the day before, at the expense of Tatsuru Saito. Back to two wins to one, the Blues were counting on Sarah-Léonie Cysique to put the scores back on level terms. Alas, facing Natsumi Tsunoda – despite being two weight categories below –, the Frenchwoman took a lesson, like the one Shirine Boukli had received in the individual. To bring the decisive point, Japan relied on the legend Hifumi Abe, double Olympic champion in -66kg and undefeated for 56 fights, who measured up to the Olympic vice-champion in -73kg, Joan-Benjamin Gaba. At the end of a titanic fight, the Frenchman confirmed his dazzling Games by knocking down his opponent after almost nine breathless minutes.
Clarisse Agbégnénou continues the Blues’ comeback
And in the process, Clarisse Agbégnénou, kept in reserve until now, dominated her eternal rival Miku Takaichi at the end of another crazy golden score. 3-3 and time for the draw to designate the final fight. A legendary coincidence since it designated… Teddy Riner to snatch the victory. And the triple Olympic champion could not miss his appointment with history. At the end of a confrontation of incredible suspense, the Frenchman delivered the entire audience of the Arena Champ-du-Mars, screaming their happiness, with a final saving ippon.
Before this victory in the final, if Riner’s night had been short, the Guadeloupean had, on the other hand, had to find his morning long, very long. In reserve for the nation during the 8th final against Israel, quickly devoured by his little comrades (4 wins to 0) without having to perform on the tatami, the Frenchman had undoubtedly experienced one of the most unexpected international jousts of his career in the quarter-finals against South Korea. Indeed, if everyone was salivating at the idea of a remake of the final of the day before against Kim Minjong, it was not the case and facing him Riner discovered Lee Joonhwan, bronze medalist in… less than 81kg. A tactical choice on the part of the Asians who, clearly, had written off the point of this match.
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Faced with an opponent who was almost 30 centimetres and 60 kilos ahead of him, Riner found himself facing a curious challenge, which lasted barely more than a minute and a half before an inevitable ippon came to punish the difference in size between the two fighters. But the South Korean will probably keep a memory of this confrontation for life. The point brought back by the native of Pointe-à-Pitre was added to those collected by Romane Dicko, Joan-Benjamin Gaba and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou to send the Blues into the last four (4-1). Only Italy stood in the way of the reunion between the Japanese and the French…
Also read: Olympic Games – Judo: Teddy Riner’s fabulous ippon brings the gold medal back to the French
Here again, Riner hardly had the opportunity to enjoy himself this time against a judoka competing in the under 100kg category. Except that this time such a confrontation was planned since the Boot had no heavyweights qualified for these Games. Against a smaller but powerful and resistant opponent by the name of Gennaro Pirelli, the Frenchman showed control, not to say excessive caution until he found the opening after two minutes of golden score for an ippon that did not trigger any apparent joy in him, the lover of beautiful judo forced to turn into a supporter of the tatamis. Nevertheless, this success proved important because the score was then only two victories to one for France, Christian Parlati having surprised Maxime-Gaël Ngayap-Hambou previously. The break made, Sarah-Léonie Cysique concluded the affair firmly against Odette Giuffrida, also of a lower category (4-1). Direction this long-awaited final against Japan, which was going to go badly or not.
2024-08-03 18:09:41
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