Teddy Riner reigns supreme with record fourth gold medal

As the most decorated Olympic athlete in judo history with a total of six medals, Riner now holds the record for the most gold titles at the French Summer Olympics, having previously won individual golds in London and Rio, along with a team title in Tokyo.

The audience erupted in jubilation, causing the stands of the Champs de Mars Arena to tremble, when Riner, who had previously lit the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron alongside three-time Olympic champion Marie-Jose Perec, executed a decisive ippon against the reigning world champion with a Harai-gochi, just 16 seconds before the conclusion of the four-minute match.

The crowd's roar was overwhelming, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to approach and congratulate the newly crowned champion.

In a spontaneous display of national pride, French fans began singing the Marseillaise anthem during a beach volleyball match between Brazil and the Netherlands at a nearby venue by the Eiffel Tower as the news spread.

"It is unbelievable; I am filled with joy. This demonstrates that hard work yields results. I have often stated this, but now it is simply pure happiness," remarked Riner, who maintained an impressive 154-match winning streak from 2010 to 2020.

"When it is destined to happen, it will happen; that is all I can say. It is truly remarkable."

Following the match, Riner displayed three fingers, symbolizing his three individual titles—a record he shares with Japan's Tadahiro Nomura, who achieved three consecutive victories in the -60kg category in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

Riner, who faced challenges in his initial match of the four on Friday, elevated his performance during the quarterfinals and semi-finals, achieving victory by ippon in just 103 seconds with an O-soto-gari, which elicited an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Riner, a holder of two bronze medals, has now surpassed the record of five Olympic medals in judo previously set by Japan's Ryoko Tani, who earned her accolades over five consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2008.

An 11-time world champion, Riner has secured his medals across five Olympic events: Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021, and Paris.

In the quarter-final match, he triumphed over Tokyo silver medalist and world number four Guram Tushishvili, concluding the bout with a Tani-otoshi, which once again thrilled the French supporters.

Tushishvili received a red card for inappropriate conduct, specifically for placing his leg into Riner's crotch and his hand on Riner's face at the conclusion of the match, resulting in his disqualification and preventing him from competing for a bronze medal.

Furthermore, he will be barred from participating in the team event due to his disqualification from the Games, as stated by the International Judo Federation.

Bronze medals were awarded to Temur Rakhimov from Tajikistan and Alisher Yusupov from Uzbekistan.

Earlier, Brazilian athlete Beatriz Souza claimed the gold medal in the women's over 78kg category, defeating Israel's Raz Hershko, who secured the silver medal.

Bronze medals were also awarded to Kim Ha-yun of South Korea and France's Romane Dicko.