Winner in Antalya, during the Grand Slam, this Sunday, Teddy Riner is realistic. The Frenchman knows well that this success is almost anecdotal in view of the Olympic deadline which awaits him, in four months, in Paris.
“There was no big desire, I’m not going to hide it. At the last minute I wanted to cancel the tournament. I gained a little fatigue, a lot of fatigue, because of the training, I think it showed throughout the day, even in the final. (…) For me, that is not the objective,” he told AFP. A state of mind which did not prevent him from triumphing at the expense of the Japanese Tatsuru Saito.
Now that this competition is over, Riner, who will celebrate his 35th birthday on April 7, is adamant: “What gets me up in the morning is the Games. I'm looking forward to it and I hope I don't miss it. »
Despite his three gold medals - including two individually - and two bronze medals, the judoka takes the measure of the event. Almost as impatient as a newbie. “It’s going to be my fifth Games, I know what it’s like. It's not a World Championship, it's not a European Championship, it's not a tournament, it's not a Masters, it's the Olympic Games. The world stops at that moment. It's difficult to make you understand that, because every time, when we talk about the Games we say that it's wonderful, it's magnificent... It's true, but it's so much more. It’s a moment in our life that stops. »
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Extend the pleasure until 2028?
Asked about the prospect of continuing until 2028 and the Los Angeles Olympics (he will then be 39 years old), Teddy Riner did not rule out this possibility. “I had a magnificent Olympiad. She passed quickly. There were great moments of training, preparation, I had a lot of fun. I still have a lot under my belt so I tell myself
let's go, why stop?
On the other hand, after 2028, I think it will be hard. At some point you have to turn the page and say goodbye to this wonderful world.”
Assuming that “the desire is not there” regarding the Worlds, scheduled for May 19 to 24, the Guadeloupean will soon leave for an internship in Japan, at the end of April. “I love training in Japan. It's clean, if you have to take a box you take it. They come to fight. » Enough to prepare himself against opponents that he will perhaps meet again this summer.