Judo Worlds: “It is better to take a slap here than in Los Angeles in 2028”… Without gold, the (very) mediocre French record

Since becoming president of the French Judo Federation in November 2020 – a position for which he was reappointed four years later – Stéphane Nomis has no shortage of ambitions. From every point of view. But, above all, on a sporting level. Let him never fail to trumpet, at the risk of appearing as boastful.

Thus, some had rolled their eyes before the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 when the former international judoka said he was aiming for ten medals at the Arena Champ-de-Mars. Except that the results proved him right, with two titles for Teddy Riner and during the team competition, accompanied by two silver medals and six bronze medals. An exceptional, historic harvest. That the French team has since struggled to reproduce, or even approach.

Thus, during the 2025 World Championships in Budapest, the Blues had to be content with four podiums, for a single gold medal, won by Joan-Benjamin Gaba in the under 73kg category...