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French judo star Teddy Riner made history on Saturday (13 May) by winning his 11th individual world title at the 2,023 World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. The 34-year-old heavyweight defeated Russian Inal Tasoev in the 100kg final by waza ari after a thrilling golden score period that lasted more than three minutes. Riner, who became the youngest ever men’s world champion in 2007, extended his record as the most decorated judoka of all time, male or female. He also became the oldest world champion in history, surpassing Japan’s Yasuhiro Yamashita who won his fourth title at age 33 in 1,985. The three-time Olympic gold medallist, who missed the 2021 and 2,022 World Championships due to injury and pandemic-related issues, showed his resilience and determination by overcoming a tough draw that included world number one Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan in the semi-final. Riner needed just 28 seconds to dispatch Rakhimov by ippon, setting up a clash with Tasoev, who had beaten him in the final of the Paris Grand
