Judoka Kim Min-jong falls to Teddy Riner to take silver in men's +100kg

Korean judoka Kim Min-jong took silver in the men’s +100 kilograms at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday, losing the gold medal match to Teddy Riner of France.

Korea's Kim Min-jong, left, and France's Teddy Riner compete in the men's 100-kilogram gold medal match at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Friday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean judoka Kim Min-jong took silver in the men’s +100 kilograms at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday, losing the gold medal match to Teddy Riner of France.

It was a clash for the history books at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris, pitting Kim, the current world champion, against Riner, arguably the single greatest judoka the sport has ever seen.

In the end it was experience that won the day. Riner picked up his fourth Olympic gold medal with an ippon after 3 minutes and 44 seconds without either judoka pulling ahead.

Kim took down reigning Olympic champion Ushangi Kokauri of Azerbaijan in the quarterfinals en route to the final, beating Tatsuro Saito of Japan in the semis.

But Riner proved too much in the final, and Kim isn’t the first top judoka to fall to the French juggernaut. Riner has 11 world championship titles, more than any other judoka in any discipline, four gold and two bronze Olympic medals and five European golds.

Kim is the fourth Korean judoka to medal in Paris, joining Huh Mi-mi on the silver medal step alongside bronze medalists Lee Joon-hwan and Kim Ha-yun.

Friday’s final rounded off the individual competition for judo at the Paris Olympics, with the only remaining contest in the sport being the team event on Saturday. Korea will be in action in that event, taking on Turkey in the round of 16 at 8 a.m. in Paris, or 3 p.m. in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]