Chronicle of an announced coronation. A little over a month before the Olympic Games, Clarisse Agbegnenou had decided not to ignore these 2021 vintage World Championships, unlike her two great rivals - Slovenian Tina Trstenjak and Japanese Miku Tashiro. And inevitably, if the French had ticked the Budapest box on her diary, it was not to go sightseeing. Like her compatriot Teddy Riner, the judokate is not the type to spoil a title, all the more global, nor to be satisfied despite a fantastic track record. Which therefore now has five stars since the resident of the Champigny-sur-Marne club (Val-de-Marne) did not procrastinate on the way. Perhaps it is even for her the most "easy" planetary crown to find.Not because of the weakness of her opponents, but because of her own level, clearly above the other judokats entered on Wednesday.
Without desire or motivation, talent is nothing, or very little.
Agbegnenou demonstrated this on the Hungarian tatami mats.
Face closed and determined, as usual, the French record holder for the number of world titles - ahead of Brigitte Deydier (3) - left nothing to chance.
Her first fight against the Danish Laerke Olsen dispatched in just over a minute, already, the way to a fifth coronation was opening wide since at the same time, the Japanese Nami Nabekura, the only one likely to to make her fall, tripped over the carpet in her first fight.
The view towards the first step of the podium was perfectly clear, all that remained was to go for it.
5 fights, 5 ippons, perfection made Agbegnenou
There followed a controlled second round against the Korean Heeju Han, dismissed on ippon 50 seconds from the gong, a quarter-final a bit more disputed against the Cuban Maylin Del Toro Carvajal, a half where the Dutch Sanne Vermeer will have valiantly tried to jostle the hegemonic queen of the under 63 kg category before admitting defeat on a choke, and Agbegnenou won her place in the final. Where she found Andreja Leski, the best possible opponent from the top of her 5th world rank. Except that the Slovenian had already crossed the road of the French woman twice, still in the semi-finals of the Grand Slam in Paris (2019 and 2020) and still for a defeat by ippon after a little more than two minutes of fight. And just to drive the point home, the Frenchwoman, at 28,was playing in Budapest his 7th consecutive world final, while Leski discovered this stage of the competition. Hence a one-sided confrontation?
A first penalty after a few seconds for the Slovenian set the tone.
Leski then sought to disturb the serenity of the Frenchwoman but less than a minute from the end, she found the opening by scoring a waza-ari, immediately followed by an excellent work on the ground to conclude in ippon.
His fifth in five fights on a perfect day.
Two years after his dantesque final - more than 11 minutes!
- against the Japanese Tashiro to win her fourth title, Agbegnenou offers a fifth star on the kimono.
Very well done work.
She can now fully devote herself to conquering the only major title she lacks, Olympic gold.
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