Teddy Riner imposed himself expeditiously for his entry into the running at the Grand Slam de judo de Paris, Sunday at Bercy.
In a fight counting for the second round, the Frenchman beat Bahrain's Azamat Chotchaev by ippon after 29 seconds.
In the next round, he will face Kazakh Adil Orazbayev, surprise winner of double Olympic medalist Rafael Silva.
Three years after his last appearance at the Accor Arena, Riner, back from injury, is aiming for a seventh title in this prestigious tournament.
Last October, the ten-time world champion was forced to withdraw from the Worlds in Uzbekistan due to a sprained right ankle.
He returned to competition in the final of the Champions League by teams played in Georgia on November 26 with his club PSG.