Teddy Riner - France

Teddy Riner was born on April 7, 1989 in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean.

Competing for France in the over-100 kilograms heavyweight division, he is the only judoka to have won 10 World Championship gold medals. He also boasts Olympic golds from London 2012 and Rio 2016, and a bronze from Beijing 2008.

At the European Championships, the French giant has won five gold medals.

When competing at the 2007 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Riner became the youngest ever senior world champion in the over-100kg event, defeating the 2000 Olympic gold medallist, Kosei Inoue of Japan, in the semi-final.

In February 2020, Riner was defeated by Japan's Kokoro Kageura at the Paris Grand Slam, which ended a sensational unbeaten run which stretched back to 2010.

He is aiming for a third Olympic title at Tokyo 2020 and has announced that his dream would be to end his career as Olympic champion at his home Paris 2024 Games.

Riner has been awarded the highest civic distinction in France – the Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur – and he is one of the most famous judoka at national and international level.

Besides his athletic interests, Riner is engaged in many development and humanitarian activities.