Tokyo Olympics: Teddy Riner misses out on third gold as he wins bronze

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Teddy Riner has won 10 world titles

French judo great Teddy Riner failed in his bid to win a record-equalling third successive Olympic heavyweight gold medal as he picked up bronze.

The 10-time world champion had hoped to match Japanese Tadahiro Nomura's feat.

But he lost to Russian world number one Tamerlan Bashaev in the quarter-finals in Tokyo before coming through repechage to contest the bronze medal.

He appeared confused by a video review decision in the bout against Bashaev and did not speak to the media later.

Instead, his coach Laurent Calleja told French television: "We did not come to get a bronze medal; we came for gold."

Riner went on to beat Brazilian Rafael Silva and Japan's Hisayoshi Harasawa to win a fourth Olympic medal in a row after also picking up bronze at Beijing 2008.

Riner, 32, has dominated judo for more than a decade, enjoying a 154-bout unbeaten run from September 2010 to February 2020.

Before these Olympics he said it was "highly likely" that he would compete at his home Games in Paris in 2024.