Not yet recovered from his elbow operation, Teddy Riner will be absent from the Judo World Championships

The heaviest judokas can breathe a sigh of relief. The biggest of the big guns in the category, five-time Olympic gold medalist Teddy Riner, has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming World Judo Championships in Budapest (June 13-20), the French Judo Federation reported in a press release on Thursday, May 15.

The judoka with 11 world titles, who underwent elbow surgery at the start of the year, "has decided to withdraw from this international event, believing that the optimal conditions are not yet in place for a return to the World Championships," the body said.

Riner believes that "the optimal conditions [are] not yet in place for a return to the World Championships." Since his two gold medals at the Paris Olympics last summer (+100 kg and team competition), the 36-year-old from Guadeloupe has still not returned to individual competition.

Narrative

He had simply fought a single match during the Champions League he won at the end of the year with his club Paris Saint-Germain. On that occasion, he defeated Cuban Andy Granda, a worthy opponent, world champion in 2022 and fifth in the last World Championships in 2024, as well as in the Paris Olympics. Riner was then announced for the Paris Grand Slam, but ultimately withdrew from the tournament before undergoing elbow surgery to treat an injury that had been bothering him for several years.

Asked about his upcoming competitions, Riner replied in March: "I think my first competition will be in June or July. I don't know if it will be a Grand Prix or a Grand Slam. It will all depend on how I get back to my best level, or to a good level to compete." He then explained the reasons for his discomfort: "My triceps hasn't gone back into place yet because it has melted and there is still a little bit of fluid [in the joint], but it's okay."

He then said he wanted to participate in "two or three" competitions per year between now and the Los Angeles Games in 2028, where he will aim for a fourth individual Olympic title. His last participation in the World Championships was in 2023 in Doha, where he went for an eleventh title after a controversial final bout .

Teddy Riner's withdrawal therefore frees up a spot in the men's individual category for the French team. However, the French team is not required to designate a replacement for the individual event, the federation specifies. In this category, Tieman Diaby and new sensation Angel Gustan, this year's French champion, have been selected by the selection committee to participate in the mixed team competition. One of them could switch to the individual event.