Heavyweight (>100 kilograms), Men

All of France pinned its hopes on Teddy Riner, the gold medalist in this class in 2012 and 2016, and bronze medalist in 2020. Riner had 12 gold medals at the World Championships, winning the 100 kg class in 2007, 2009-2011, 2013-2015, 2017, and most recently in 2023. He also won the Open Class gold medal in 2008 and 2017. Riner had 11 titles at IJF Grand Slam events, including four in 2023-2024. Czechia’s Lukáš Krpálek was the defending gold medalist but he would lose his second-round match to Japan’s Tatsuru Saito and finish equal ninth.

Riner made it to the final, where he defeated Korean Kim Min-Jong by ippon with harai-goshi at 3:44, winning his fourth gold medal and sixth Olympic medal in men’s judo. The next day, Riner would add to his laurels, helping France win gold in the mixed team event. His five golds and seven medals were both Olympic records. Riner’s third title in the heavyweight class matched the feat of Japan’s Tadahiro Nomura, who won three golds in men’s extra-lightweight class in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

The bronze medal matches saw Alisher Yusupov (UZB) defeat Saito by ippon, with ude-hishigi-juji-gatame in 1:17, while Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov took down Cuba’s Andy Granda after three shidos.