The host country had its fair share of iconic moments during the 2024 Paris Games, and many of those happened on the judo mat at Champs de Mars Arena.
The anticipation before the games built as all-time judo great Teddy Riner looked to break the record for most Olympic gold and overall medals in the sport's history. And to the surprise of nobody, he did just that.
The 35-year-old won the men's heavyweight gold and the mixed team event in some of the most dramatic fashions imaginable (more on that to come).
Paris also saw historic repeats, thrilling upsets and more across judo's various weight classes. Here's the best of what went down.
Medal Table
| Country | Gold- Silver- Bronze |
Total |
|---|---|---|
| France | 2 - 2 - 6 | 10 |
| Japan | 3 - 2 - 3 | 8 |
| South Korea | 0 - 2 - 3 | 5 |
| Brazil | 1 - 1 - 2 | 4 |
| Georgia | 1 - 2 - 0 | 3 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 - 0 - 2 | 3 |
| Israel | 0 - 2 - 1 | 3 |
| Azerbaijan | 2 - 0 -0 | 2 |
| Zazakhstan | 1 - 0 - 1 | 2 |
| Kosovo | 0 - 1 - 1 | 2 |
Teddy Riner wins historic fourth judo gold
After stumbling in the semifinals and snagging bronze in the men's 100+kg judo during Tokyo, Riner bounced back in a major way in Paris.
The legendary judoka defeated South Korea's Kim Min-Jong with an epic ippon to win his fourth judo gold medal and his sixth medal overall, both most of any Olympic judoka ever, regardless of gender.
The hometown crowd absolutely erupted for Riner as he sent the fans home happy en route to becoming the most decorated Olympic judoka of all time.
FULL REPLAY: WOMEN'S 78+KG, MEN'S 100+KG FINALS
Medalists
Gold: Teddy Riner (France)
Silver: Kim Min-Jong (South Korea)
Bronze: Alisher Yupov (Uzbekistan)
Bronze: Temur Rakhimov (Tajikistan)
And as if the English call wasn't good enough... just wait until you hear the French call of Riner's epic victory.
Historic sibling repeat comes up short
Japanese siblings Uta and Hifumi Abe made history in Tokyo by becoming the first brother and sister to win individual golds on the same day, in the same sport and at the same Olympics.
The siblings didn't have the same luck in Paris, as Hifumi won gold in the men's 66kg division but Uta bowed out in the Round of 16 in the women's 52kg class. After not losing a bout in an individual competition since 2019, Uta fell to Uzbekistan's Diyora Keldiyorova, a two-time silver medalist at the world championships.
It wasn't all negative for the siblings, as Hifumi won back-to-back golds.
"I had never seen that view of the venue filled with people. And here I had my whole family watching," he said, adding that he would be back to defend his title in Los Angeles in 2028. "In Paris, I felt like this is what the Olympics should be."
FULL REPLAY: WOMEN'S 52KG, MEN'S 66KG FINALS
Medalists (Women's 52kg)
Gold: Diyora Keldiyorova (Uzbekistan)
Silver: Distria Krasniqi (Kosovo)
Bronze: Amandine Buchard (France)
Bronze: Larissa Pimenta (Brazil)
Medalists (Men's 66kg)
Gold: Hifumi Abe (Japan)
Silver: Willian Lima (Brazil)
Bronze: Denis Vieru (Maldova)
Bronze: Gusman Kyrgyzbayev (Kazakhstan)
Teddy Riner makes more history
After already becoming the undisputed greatest judoka of all time following his heavyweight win, Riner decided to double down in the mixed team event.
In one of the loudest crowd pops of the Paris Olympics, the mixed team tiebreaker came down to a random weight class to decide the gold medal between France and Japan. With 9,500 viewers on their feet at Champs de Mars Arena, the 90+kg weight class landed on the jumbotron... which meant Riner would face Japan's Tatsuru Saito in a golden score tiebreaker.
The crowd's roar when the randomizer lands on 90+ is too good to explain, so here it is:
Riner defeated Saito to send the crowd into an absolute frenzy and earn France the epic mixed team victory.
Medalists
Gold: France
Silver: Japan
Bronze: Brazil
Bronze: South Korea