The French judokate Clarisse Agbegnenou won her fifth world title on Wednesday 9 June, beating the Slovenian Andreja Leski by ippon in the final of the world championships in Budapest in the under 63 kg category.
Already crowned at the 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Worlds, the 28-year-old champion is no longer very far from the three most successful judokats in the history of the world championships: the Japanese Ryoko Tani, the Chinese Wen Tong ( seven titles each) and the Belgian Ingrid Berghmans (six).
With this victory, Clarisse Agbegnenou also offers the French team its first medal at these world championships.
“I was quite serene, calm. I did not do “golden score”, I did a lot of soil. I had worked on it a lot and I’m happy that it works, it shows me that I’m on the right track. I feel good, I have no pain anywhere, no strap “, she explained, smiling, after her final, as if she had just come out of a good training session.
On the French list, she also exceeds David Douillet and his four world titles, but remains behind Teddy Riner and his incredible 10 gold medals. “I am proud of what I do and of this year, which is hard for me”, she said, speaking of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, her obsession, as a “Blow of the club”.
“There remains the missing star”
Because at the Olympics, the story is different, and it is this story that Agbegnenou now wants to rewrite in its own way, during this summer. The licensee from Champigny-sur-Marne has never digested her defeat against the Slovenian Tina Trstenjak, in 2016 in Rio.
“I told myself that I didn’t know if I would have this medal in Tokyo. So I said to myself that I was already going to get the fifth ”, she said again. The mission is accomplished, and Agbegnenou is already focused on Japan and its Olympic dream. “Now there is the missing star. “
Now five-time world champion and five-time European champion, she will be in contention this summer at the Tokyo Olympics, where she will aim for the gold medal which is missing from her immense record.