Paris takes pride in celebrating its sports stars with Kylian Mbappe the case in point.
But as the France captain prepares for a new adventure in Madrid, focus has turned to judo legend Teddy Riner, who is in the final of the men's 100kg+ men's judo at the Olympics.
He's one win away from gold at three separate Olympics as he got the better of Tajikstan's Temur Rakhimov in the semis to the delight of his adoring fans inside the Champs de Mars Arena.
The best sporting scripts often write themselves and in what is likely to be his final Olympics, it is fitting that the 35-year-old bows out in his home city.
Born in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, Riner was raised in Paris and after trying out in football, basketball and tennis, Riner opted for the less glamorous world of judo due to its ‘individuality’.
He was good. His early promise saw him win gold at the European Judo Championships in Serbia, aged just 18.
With a natural build more suited to an NFL linebacker, Riner inevitably competed in the heavyweight division.
His stock continued to rise so much so that he was handed the opportunity to represent France at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A relatively unknown, Riner gave a good account of himself but was eventually undone in the semi-finals.
But the bronze medal at his maiden games served merely as ‘paying his dues’ as four-consecutive world championships wins followed and served as perfect preparation for the first of his Olympic gold medals.
London provided the perfect backdrop for the Frenchman to announce himself to the world in the +100kg category, defeating Russia's Alexander Mikhaylin in the final.
He repeated the feat four years later in Rio de Janeiro, taking down Hisayoshi Harasawa.
His success continued to spiral, however a long-running unbeaten record was quietly being constructed.
A ten-year record, in fact, that began in September 2010 before he finally succumbed to Japan’s Kageura Kokoro in February 2020 after 154 consecutive wins.
Ironically, the defeat came in Paris at the Grand Slam event, something Riner hopes will not be an omen this time round.
The man nicknamed ‘Teddy Bear’ scooped bronze in Tokyo but claimed another gold in the team event.
His third place in the individual event denied him a record-equalling third successive gold medal in what was his first Olympic defeat since Beijing.
Riner’s rise to superstardom is all the more impressive considering Judo figures down the list in France’s most popular sports.
Football, handball, rugby, tennis and athletics lead the way before Judo, however stars of the aforementioned sports all know about Riner’s exploits.
Ask Mbappe and former Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar who Riner is and they will describe the stature of the man.
Riner is a regular face at the Parc des Princes but his links to the club run deep.
A PSG superfan and close friends with many of the club’s star names, the judo kingpin has even put on practice sessions for Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.
He represents PSG’s judo club which was set up in 1992 and refounded in 2017. The campus resides at the football club’s Poissy campus alongside the handball team.
"The truth is, every night before a big competition, there's stress. Not because you're afraid of your opponent, but because you're afraid of screwing up," he told French newspaper Le Monde.
"It's crazy, no matter how well you prepare, you feel this fear of slipping, of landing badly and having the opponent take advantage of it in a millisecond."
"I doubt myself all the time," he added. "My teams around me don't understand it. It's quite simple; I constantly question myself. No matter how many times you tell me I'm the best, in my eyes, I'm not. Doubt fuels me, and I overcome it."
The Champs de Mars Arena is the setting for Riner to make history.
The venue is perfectly located behind the Eiffel Tower and on the banks of the River Seine in Paris’ 7th arrondissement, in one of the French capital’s most picturesque districts.
And there would be no better fairytale ending than to bow out as Olympic champion on the grandest stage, surrounded by his people.
Riner's Road to the Final
Riner’s journey to the final has been marked by both triumphs and challenges. He had a first-round bye and then beat Magomedomar Magomedomarov of the United Arab Emirates in the last 16, winning by ippon.
In the quarter-finals, he faced Georgia's Guram Tushishvili, a formidable opponent. Riner, with his signature aggression, ultimately won by ippon, ending the contest with a tani-otoshi, sending French fans into a frenzy. Tushishvili, however, received a red card for unsportsmanlike conduct, ending his Olympic journey prematurely.
Riner's Last Stand
The final stage of Riner's Olympic journey awaits. His opponent in the gold medal match is none other than Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan, a formidable judoka in his own right. The battle for Olympic glory is set to be intense, and Riner will be drawing on all his experience and grit to secure a historic fourth gold medal.
This will be the ultimate test of Riner's legacy, a culmination of years of dedication and sacrifice. The entire nation will be watching, hoping to witness the crowning moment of a true sporting legend. Whether he succeeds or not, Teddy Riner has already cemented his place as one of the greatest judokas of all time.
