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The Teddy Bear started a party that was set to rumble long into the night throughout the whole of France.
Teddy Riner is as big – quite literally at 6ft 6in and around 22 stone – as it gets for France at their home Olympics given the judoka star’s celebrity status.
Riner joined triple Olympic champion Marie-Jose Perec in lighting the cauldron at Paris 2024 – and a week on he was centre stage again to put his own name up in lights.
Before setting foot on the Parisian tatami, the 35-year-old born in Guadeloupe – a region of France in the Caribbean – shared the honour of three Olympic gold medals with Japan’s Tadahiro Nomura.
Riner, known as Teddy Bear or Big Teddy, won individual gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and was part of team title success at Tokyo 2020.
He now has a four-strong gold medal collection after defeating Kim Min-jong, of South Korea, in the men’s +100kg final to become the most successful judoka in Olympic history.
“This is experience is just unbelievable,” Riner told BBC Sport.
“At home, right here with my family in my country with friends and people like this – it’s just the perfect day.
“I am not sure if it’s a dream, but when I have a gold medal everything is OK. This is my chance and I am very happy.
“There was a lot of pressure today, I took my chance. I am very proud of my family, for my name and for my country.”
The one stain on Riner’s remarkable record, which also includes 11 world championships gold medals, was defeat to Russia’s Tamerlan Bashaev at Tokyo 2020 – his first defeat since 2008.
I am not sure if it's a dream, but when I have a gold medal everything is OK— Teddy Riner
Riner has not lost at Grand Slam or world championship level since, and his measure of confidence was reflected after taking out Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov in the semi-final.
Obviously relaxed ahead of his final, Riner posted an image of him looking at a golden Eiffel Tower from a Parisian roof top with the message: “Last Step!!!”
Riner’s adoring fans at the Champ-de-Mars Arena were at boiling point by the time of their champion’s arrival.
“Teddy, Teddy,” they screamed as Riner moved to the tatami and dwarfing his opponent.
After a bit of holding, it was to prove a mismatch as Riner executed a breathtaking harai goshi, using one leg to send Kim tumbling to the floor and winning by ippon.
The 8,300 crowd went ballistic as Riner observed the formal judo rituals before paying tribute to his opponent by holding Kim’s arm aloft.
Riner then fell to his knees and took the acclaim of a crowd who knew they had witnessed judo greatness.
The judoka joins fencers Chrisian d’Oriola and Lucien Gaudin as the most successful French competitors at the Olympic Games.
