France’s Teddy Riner reacts as he receives his gold medal for the men’s over 100-kg judo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
LONDON — Newly-crowned Olympic heavyweight champion Teddy Riner admitted the abject misery of his shock defeat at the 2008 Beijing Games inspired him to London gold.
The 23-year-old five-time world champion won his first Games gold, completing the full set of titles alongside his two European crowns.
Having dominated his sport since his first senior world title in 2007, the lack of an Olympic gold — he took bronze in Beijing — weighed heavily on the Guadeloupe-born star.
Since losing on a penalty in a sudden death period of golden score to Uzbekistan’s Abdullo Tangriev in China, he had been defeated only once.
And even that was a hotly-disputed judges’ decision to Japan’s Daiki Kamikawa at the 2010 openweight World Championships in Tokyo.
But it was his defeat in Beijing which most motivated Riner to bounce back and work towards his victory in London.
“Beijing allowed me question myself again, to look at my weaknesses and what I needed to work on over the next four-year cycle,” he said.
“I worked on what came out of it and learnt that I needed to get my hands on my opponents. I matured and got a lot more experience in competitions.
“I worked on new techniques on both sides and getting a complete range of grips.”
So when it came to the moment of truth, Riner wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stand in his way.
“I told myself, they want to take my medal. The message I told myself all day long was it’s mine, it’s my day, it’s my medal and don’t let them have your steak,” he said.
Now that he has it physically in his hands, he says he doesn’t want to let it out of his sight.
“Right now I have this medal and I’m not going to let go of it, I’m even going to sleep with it because four years is a long time, it’s tough.”
Riner’s immediate plan is to take a long break and relax now that the pressure is off.
“I can already feel my shoulders are lighter. I can’t wait to be with my family, in fact I’m already on holiday,” he said.
“I’m going to have a very long holiday, at least three or four months, even six. Four years has been a long time and it’s time for a break. I want to lie in the sun on the beach. My aim is to get bored, to recover.
“And no, I won’t be going to the beach in Rio [site of the next Olympics].
“I’m going to go to Guadeloupe to go boating and jet-skiing, everything that’s banned [for an athlete].”