Teddy Riner on his preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics: “The hardest part is staying at the top”

He is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated French athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At almost 35 years old, judoka Teddy Riner is preparing to compete in the fifth Olympics of his rich career. Individual Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016, then team gold medalist in Tokyo in 2021, the native of Pointe-à-Pitre is once again aiming for an Olympic podium next summer. A few days after winning the Paris Grand Slam, Teddy Riner spoke on the show Europe 1 Morning Weekend this Saturday.

“Good feelings” during the Paris Grand Slam

At the microphone of Lénaïg Monier, the most successful judoka in the world emphasizes that he had “good feelings” at the beginning of February, during his victory at Bercy, while affirming that it was still only “preparation ” for the Olympic goal. “We are still perfecting our judo, but I have taken good information, I felt quite good about this competition (…) We are doing all this to arrive on the big day in the best conditions” , explains Teddy Riner on Europe 1.

The judoka who shines in the over 100 kilos category, the premier category of judo, affirms that he always manages to “progress” on different levels. And this is thanks to his team, who refines with him his technical, physical, but also mental preparation, essential for someone who has won everything as a professional. “The hardest part is staying at the top,” confides Teddy Riner, who has surrounded himself with a well-stocked staff. “Since 2004, I have been in a structure around me which helps me to perform and which puts me in the best conditions,” he assures.

Participation planned for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028

Teddy Riner still concedes that he still has a few kilos to lose, “between six and ten”, to arrive in full possession of his means this summer, on the tatami of the Arena du Champ-de-Mars in Paris. And challenge “serious” competitors. “Since the last Olympics, there are a lot of young people, under 100 kilos who have moved up to the heavy category, and serious athletes. There is everything to do again because there, these are really guys that I didn’t know “, agrees one of the most popular French athletes.

If Teddy Riner tries “not to look too much at the medals”, recently revealed, and expects to fight a new generation of opponents “faster than the old ones”, the experienced judoka would be tempted to continue the adventure beyond next summer. “For the moment we are in Paris obviously, but I am not closing the door at all on Los Angeles (2028). I haven’t had many physical problems, and I had a lot of fun. If we arrive to put so much quality into the next (Olympics), I don’t see why I would stop in Paris”, he shares. And why not expand on an already record track record on the international scene.