Coronavirus Forces Cancellation of Rabat Judo Grand Prix, Delaying Riner’s Comeback

Teddy Riner, who is aiming for his 3rd title in Tokyo in five months, is brooding over this defeat at the Paris tournament in early February. It is the first time in more than nine years, after a series of 154 consecutive wins, reports AFP. The reigning double Olympic champion in the heavyweight category, had not lost since September 13, 2010, before being defeated by the Japanese, Kokoro Kagueura, at Bercy.

While Riner’s 24th place in the Olympic rankings (which runs until May 30) virtually qualifies him for the Tokyo Games, it does not allow him to claim a seeded status and a potentially more favorable table, he who has granted himself twenty months without competition, between November 2017 and last summer.

For Teddy Riner as well as the other judokas engaged in the Olympic race, the cancellation of the Rabat tournament is one less opportunity to score points (a maximum of 700).

Note that the next deadlines on the world calendar are the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam, in Russia, from March 13 to 15, 2020 (1,000 points at stake), and the Tbilisi Grand Prix, in Georgia, from March 27 to 29.