In the minutes before Teddy Riner entered the arena, Paris 2024 volunteers filled the aisles with phones set to record and security guards peered in from the gangways, trying to snatch a glimpse. A mob of photographers jostled for position at the edge of the tatami, and around them every seat inside the Grand Palais Ephemere was filled.
Then he arrived, all 6ft 8in and 23st of him, marching towards the stage as music blared and the fans screeched. Riner is a legend of judo and an icon of France. Here, in his hometown, he is adored like a benevolent king.
They have followed him for nearly two decades, ever since he burst onto the scene as a teenager. Riner was a world champion at 18, and in 2010 he embarked on one of the most extraordinary unbeaten streaks of any athlete in any sport, winning 152 straight bouts across almost 10 years of impenetrable dominance. In a sport where the goal is to flip your opponent on to their back, the best in the world could not figure out how to throw him down.
He won Olympic golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and his popularity grew and grew. He extolled the values of judo – humility, respect, courage – and yet he had a passionate edge. It could boil into frustration when things went against him, but more often it manifested in contagious joy.
Riner, and France, were shocked when he was beaten by Tamerlan Bashaev in the semi-finals at Tokyo 2020. He still won bronze, but it meant that his home Olympics would be about more than putting on a show in Paris, but about righting that wrong.
His quarter-final here was a feisty contest in which Georgian judoka Guram Tushishvili was disqualified for kicking Riner in the groin. He quickly won his semi-final, but the final pitted him against an awkward opponent, Korea’s Kim Min-jong, who won the 2024 world title when Riner skipped the competition to prepare for the Games. At 5ft 11in, he is a small heavyweight who can engage below Riner’s sphere of influence.
They climbed up to the stage greeted by an ear-splitting roar. They bowed, bowed again, and with a quick hop Riner stepped into battle. Kim took a low skittish stance which gave the contest an odd look, like a grizzly bear fighting an agitated kangaroo. Riner struggled to get a clean grip and the fight descended into an ugly scrap which brought warnings for both judokas from the referee.
But then came the moment all 9,000 fans had come to see. Riner grabbed hold of Kim’s jacket by the sleeve and the neckline, and as the Korean tried to free himself, Riner unleashed his trademark trip, turning and tipping his victim off balance before kicking his legs away. In the same move, Riner used the strength in his arms to rotate Kim’s body so that he landed on his back, securing the ippon that won the fight instantly.
After a customary bow, Riner fell to his knees, closed his eyes and threw two giant fists into the air. He went to the stands and hugged his young daughter. Eight years on from Rio, he had won his third Olympic heavyweight gold medal, his fourth in all. He is an 11-time world champion and, aged 35, his legacy is complete.
“This experience is just unbelievable,” he said. “At home, right here with my family in my country, it’s just the perfect day. I’m not sure if it’s a dream, but when I have a gold medal everything is OK. This was my chance and I am very happy.
“There was a lot of pressure on my name. Today I took my chance. I am very proud, for my name and for my country.”
It was a moment that will be etched in the stones of these Olympics. If Leon Marchand is the face of the Games, then Riner is the soul. He is the Parisian boy who joined a club in the south of the city, who conquered his sport and reinvented it. The Messi of judo doesn’t quite cut it; Usain Bolt might be a better comparison – close to unbeatable, inevitable, with a charisma that everyone wants to touch.
An hour later, Riner was still in the arena, waving to fans and taking selfies. An assortment of arms reached out of the crowd to hand him a phone, and he took a picture of himself before tossing them back in the general direction they came. Then he jumped on to the stage one last time and lay down flat on the tatami, kissing his gold medal. For the first time all day, Riner had his back on the floor.