
A fight… and finally two winners. A month ago in Doha, Teddy Riner made a remarkable comeback at the World Judo Championships. Six years after his last crowning in the competition, the Frenchman had offered himself an eleventh title.
On May 13, after a final played against the Russian – neutral flag fighter – Inal Tasoev, in the +100 kg category, he ended up winning on waza-ari in the golden score. But, two days later, the International Judo Federation (IJF) revealed… that he shouldn’t have won.
At issue: a referee error following an opponent’s action, which took place in extra time, after the regular four minutes of combat, during which the first player to score wins. Inal Tasoev had also at that moment raised his arms and clenched his fists, thinking for a moment that he had won, while Teddy Riner, on the ground, wagged his finger no.
In a terse statement released on June 9the IJF has therefore decided, “after a thorough analysis by experts, according to the applicable arbitration rules”to grant the title and the points in the world ranking associated with the two fighters: Inal Tasoev thus recovers a gold medal but Teddy Riner keeps his eleventh star.