Curiosity of the Day. Judoka Teddy Riner faced a Korean competitor who was 50 kg lighter
Alex Olise
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
South Korea fielded an athlete over 50 kg lighter against four-time Olympic champion Teddy Riner in the judo team event. This is where true inequality at the Olympics can be seen—sacrificing an athlete for the country’s benefit (South Korea ultimately won bronze).
The massive Teddy Riner defeated his opponent, who was 50 kg lighter, in just 90 seconds. During the team tournament in Paris, the South Korean coaches matched Riner, a super heavyweight, against a competitor who had competed in the under-81 kg category in the individual events. The outcome was predictable.
Riner, who became a four-time Olympic champion on August 2, easily defeated the Korean Kim Min-chon in the final and dominated his compatriot in the quarterfinals. With a 50 kg weight difference and over 20 cm height difference, a different result was hard to imagine. The French judoka relentlessly overpowered his opponent, tossing him around like a toy, and ended the match with a decisive victory.
It is very difficult to find a competitor who can provide serious competition to Riner in terms of physical parameters, especially given that the French judoka stands 205 cm tall and weighs 135 kg.
