Teddy Riner satisfied about 2015

Record-breaking eight-time world champion and Olympic champion Teddy Riner of France produced four ippons in as many contests to win heavyweight gold as he beat Abu Dhabi Grand Slam gold medallist Kim Sung-Min (KOR) in a Grand Prix final for the second week in a row.

In a repeat of the Qingdao Grand Prix gold medal contest, where Kim was disqualified for four shidos in a highly-disappointing challenge against the formidable Frenchman, the South Korean fighter offered more on home soil this week. Nevertheless Riner was always in control and threw his opponent for ippon after 96 seconds with a superb sasae-tsurikomi-ashi to take their-to-head record to 9-0.

In the first semi-final Riner was given a test by Dutchman and Paris Grand Slam bronze medallist Roy Meyer who made the French great work for his victory. Riner led by two yuko scores before forcing the Dutchman to submit to a koshi-jime in the first meeting between the European powerhouses. In the second semi-final Wollongong Oceania Open silver medallist Ushangi kokauri (AZE) was beaten by Kim Sung-Min (KOR) by ippon as he sealed one more shot against Riner.

The first bronze medal went to Baku Grand Slam bronze medallist Andrey Volkov (RUS) who held down Kokauri with a mune-gatame and he elected to tap out after 17 seconds. The second bronze medal went to Meyer who bested Pan American Games bronze medallist Garcia Mendoza (CUB) by a shido. Meyer put everything into a driving ouchi-gari which sent the Cuban out of the area but he turned out onto his front to avoid giving away a score and the solitary shido decided the contest.