After his explosive debut at the Antalya Grand Slam with an ippon in less than a minute, Teddy Riner changed register in his two subsequent fights. The three-time Olympic champion actually played it more tactically to get rid of his opponents thanks to the penalty game.
Thus, facing the solid Dutchman Jur Spijkers, he had to wait three minutes before seeing the 27th in the world be sanctioned for the third time, which is synonymous with defeat in judo. Ditto in the quarter-finals against an opponent he knows by heart, the Brazilian Rafael Silva, two years his senior (34 years for the Frenchman against 36 for the Auriverde). A Silva who will not have tried much to bring down the Frenchman.
Thus, in nine confrontations against the South American, Teddy Riner has always won. To reach the final, Teddy Riner will now have to dismiss the German Erik Abramov, 25th in the world. Nothing insurmountable, therefore, given the state of form of the Guadeloupean.