Without any difficulty, Teddy Riner won the Marrakech Judo Open on Sunday June 2, a second-rate tournament which was a simple preparation two months into his quest for a third Olympic heavyweight title. After skipping the World Championships in Abu Dhabi in May, we didn’t think we would see the Frenchman again on tatami in official competition before August 2 at the Arena Champ-de-Mars. But Riner, who lives in Marrakech, decided as a neighbor to take part in this tournament which did not have any kind of sporting importance for the double Olympic heavyweight champion (2012 and 2016). He did not have to pull out all the stops to beat the 22-year-old Moroccan Anass Rhefraoui in the quarter, disqualified after three penalties, then in the half the 23-year-old Frenchman Tieman Diaby, rolled on his back (ippon). In the final, in a gymnasium atmosphere, he then easily defeated the 30-year-old Cameroonian Daniel Mepoui Anong, 102nd in the world with no international reference.
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