From a sporting point of view, what does re-signing for Paris SG bring you until 2028?
Teddy Riner: Sportingly, being at a club like Paris Saint-Germain means participating in the Champions League every year. Talking about the French championship, I think that would be a little too minimalist. Afterwards, the structure means that, medically speaking, I have everything a top athlete must have to be at the top. Around me, I have my physical trainer, a technical specialist and this is one of the things I signed up for: having the best people and the best structures to be able to train internationally.
You had to withdraw from the World Championships due to injury. How does this bother you?
It bothers me because I can't do judo at the moment, since I have a crack in my shoulder. But I remain extremely positive because I already had surgery in 2013 for such an injury, and it lasted until 2026 while allowing me to win some great competitions. So we also have to look at the good side of things. I am reaching the end of my career, and this little glitch will soon be resolved, I am convinced. This is part of the career of top athletes. I just have to be patient.
Exactly, don't you find it very long since your last fight in December 2024?
There, it's especially a little long since I was injured. But if we talk about my last competitions which for me are the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and the Champions League which we won with the club, no, because I have been on the mat for many years, and it has always been a race against time to be ready for each major competition. Today, with what I have done in my career, I can afford to take my time more. And if I continue, it is not to run, to have constraints or to confront myself with a sometimes negative part, I really just want to be positive until 2028 to have fun and have a smile.
Two years before the Los Angeles Games, do you have time to take your time?
Yes, because it's not like I don't know how to prepare for the Olympic Games. I know exactly how to do it and with whom. So no, I'm not worried. In my opinion, the period June-July 2027 will mark the starting point.
So this injury does not appear to you as an unfortunate setback...
No, I don't see it like that at all. I saw it as a “too bad” because it would not have been my first World Championship. I joined INSEP in 2004 and since then, I have enjoyed the World Championships. I was lucky to have a great career. It's not finished. This injury is part of the game and we have to accept it. I don't have a problem with that, really.
Getting to number one in the world is not my goal. Getting into the top 10 is my goal. (Teddy Riner)
In Lausanne, you could have competed against Inal Tasoev, the world number 1 in your category…
We will have time to meet. And then, if we don't meet and I win, good for me. But anyway, competition is like that. I can't fight one and say to myself that I'm not going to fight any big name. Anyway, sooner or later, I'm going to look for the rivalry, the real one.
Between now and the Games, unlike Paris 2024, you will have to seek an Olympic quota, which means competing in several competitions...
Yes, I know well. I have in mind that I will have to compete in a few competitions to qualify, to place myself not too badly in the table. Getting to number one in the world is not my goal. Getting into the top 10 is my goal. This means that I will have to take part in four or five major competitions, maximum six, between now and the Games. Afterwards, we will see which ones depending on my state of form.
Many French people would like to see you again during the Grand Slam in Paris in February…
It will always be a pleasure to get back on the Parisian tatamis, but as I said, we will see at the right time why we are doing this competition and what is the goal we are looking for in relation to the 2028 Olympic Games. I am more on my last two or three good years of judo, so at some point, we also have to know what the priorities are. So everything in its time. There, if all goes well, I should be able to resume within two or three weeks. When my body is well recovered and free of any physical problems, then I can plan ahead and begin to establish a road map.
Is the Champions League in Paris a real objective for you over the next two years?
Of course, it's a goal for the club, so it's a goal for me. Win a new Champions League, or win the third before football, why not? Because there is also this little rivalry. It’s a multi-sport club, we’re all under the same banner, but we also like to challenge each other. So it would be nice to be able to win it at home. The objective is there. We have the group and the potential.
