“Alas I was dreading it, but the medical examinations taken today have confirmed that I will not be able to resume judo for a few weeks, which therefore excludes my participation in the next World Championships in Tashkent”, wrote Riner, 33, on Twitter .
“Two years from the Olympics, I can’t take any risks. The next World Championships are scheduled for next May in Qatar,” added the megastar of French sport.
In his short message, Riner does not give details on the injury which forces him to forfeit the most important meeting of the year.
At the end of August, during an internship in Rabat, Morocco, he injured his ankle during a confrontation when a training partner fell on his ankle.
The French Judo Federation and PSG, his club, then indicated that this sprain required “the wearing of a splint and the use of crutches for three weeks”, while ensuring that his participation in the 2022 World Championships was ” maintained”.
Riner, bronze medalist in more than 100 kg and crowned Olympic team champion in August 2021 in Tokyo, has not participated in a World Championship since 2017.
In July, he won the Budapest Grand Slam, his first international competition since the Tokyo Olympics.
