Teddy Riner, back at the Worlds after a six-year absence, qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Judo Championships on Saturday in Doha.
The Frenchman won the penalties against Mongolian Tsetsentsengel Odkhuu, ranked 4th in the world in the +100kg category and winner in February of the Tel Aviv Grand Slam. Riner was more offensive than in his first fights but was forced into extra time and had to work for more than seven minutes.
The Frenchman is not seeded, he had to go through a first round against the Romanian Vladut Simionescu, 25th in the world. After a slow start to the fight in which both judokas received two penalties, Riner sent his opponent to the ground at the edge of the mat at 1:47 of the end of regulation time. In the second round, he had dominated the Pole Kacper Szczurowski, sanctioned with three penalties after 3 min 12 sec.
In the quarter-finals stands in front of him the impressive Japanese Tasturu Saito, 1.91 m for 165 kilos and vice-world champion. Riner, ten-time world champion and double Olympic champion in individual, comes to Qatar with the desire to test himself in contact with the best judokas one year before the Paris Olympics, his big goal.
