Preview World Championships O100kg

Each fight even Teddy Riner comes closer to his first loss. Although we wouldn’t know anyone of his level, it’s still judo. In Riner’s pool for the World Championships in Astana, we don’t see too much danger for the tall Frenchman. On average the opponents are not too big, read small. In the other block Oleksandr Gordiienko of the Ukraine is a taller guy with capacities, but Levani Matiashvili has the same kind of level as well as Andre Breitbarth.

In Pool B Barna Bor is stronger each year and in 2011 he won his first and only World silver medal in the open category. Bor has a track record of 0-9 against Riner, so forget the semi final, but getting there is quite an assignment. Islam El Shehaby won bronze in 2010 but this year showed up at African Championships only and won silver. Roy Meyer is the ambitious Dutchman, going for gold in Astana, and who’s not? His pool with Natea, Sasson and Kim Sung-Min is ambitious enough. Kim is definitely an outsider here. Sasson is European vice champion this year.

Another African who is tall, is in shape and is the second man on the world is Faicel Jaballah of Tunisia. With Adam Okruashvili they are the are the opposed guys for the quarter final, but Germans always strike at the last day, a possible roadblock for the two in Sven Heinle.

Renat Saidov is the tallest and he won bronze last year in Chelyabinsk. But he is vulnerable this year and Iakiv Khammo seems to be the new idol in Ukrainian judo. Abdullo Tangriev is super experienced, he will meet with another tall man Marius Paskevicius of Latvia. In the other block Japanese Ryu Shichinohe is the vice world champion, last year he was on the tail of Riner, this year he seems less in shape. The best of the rest is in the theater in Astana on Saturday, 41 man against Teddy Riner, who will win. For Teddy counts the eternal record of eight World titles. 

Watch all statistics for each individual match here