In a strange turn of events, Judo has been one of the most talked-about events at the Paris Olympics. Why is it strange, you ask? No one could have guessed the number of unpleasant bouts that continued to come to light throughout the Games. The only French athlete to have won 5 Olympic golds, Teddy Riner recently found himself tangled in a controversy that wasn’t his own doing. Well, before he emerged victorious in the men’s +100kg event, he faced off against Georgia’s Guram Tushisvili.

The quarterfinals between the two judokas went smoothly. Or so we thought. It all started when Riner seemed to have gained an upper hand over his opponent. After an unpleasant exchange of words, it all went downhill. However, this isn’t the first time the two have crossed paths. After emerging victorious at the finals in the French capital, the 11x World Championship gold medalist recalls what could have brought this on.

Teddy Riner shines a spotlight on his shared past with Guram Tushisvili

Teddy Riner was invited to the sets of “Quelles Jeux” on France 2 after claiming an Olympic gold to his name at the finals. The dust had barely settled from their recent encounter. When asked about the incident that took place during the quarterfinals at the Grand Palais Éphémère, the judoka revealed this wasn’t the first time something like this had occurred between the two. “In the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain, we met his team and he did two things that are most regrettable for judo,” he stated.

What did the Georgian judoka do? “He attacked me from behind after the matte , he swept me, normally that’s a disqualification. And before that, he did a technique where he could have done the knee crosses.” A video from the competition on YouTube offers a clear view of the altercation. “They gave him the victory, and when the commission ruled, he was disqualified,” Riner continued. After the referee called Matte, the Frenchman was seen walking away.

However, Tushisvili can be seen running after him, tackling him to the ground. Unaware of the discreet attack, Riner stayed on the floor for a bit. After the referee went to check in on the Frenchman, he stretched his legs for a bit and got back on his feet. But the 35-year-old believes he knows why his opponent reacted the way he did. “There was a little settling of scores, I think he didn’t like the nice ippon I gave him!” While the French judoka believes in the phrase ‘let bygones be bygones,’ their recent reunion in the French capital says otherwise. What really went down during the quarterfinals?

An unbridled altercation stunned the Judo world

In an intense match between the two judokas, both of them seemed to have kept up with each other’s moves. However, after Riner was given a point, the Georgian seemed to disagree with the ruling. Having bested the judo legend in the 2022 European Championships, Tuchisvili was hoping to replicate the same result this time around. In a haste to bring his point back up, he went after the 35-year-old. When the 2018 World Judo Championships gold medalist took a fall, he tried to fight back by attempting to kick the Frenchman’s crotch. Much to his dismay, that didn’t seem to work.

Tuchisvili then lifted Riner’s leg and dropped him onto the mat. Things really started to spiral from here on. Once he had his opponent on the mat, the Georgian then put his hand on the 35-year-old’s face and continued to push him around. However, not only did he lose the quarterfinals, he was disqualified from the individual event altogether. This would mean that his chance at clinching an Olympic bronze was now in jeopardy. But his aggressive antics didn’t just land him in hot water.

While he already had to bear the brunt of his actions, the Georgian team had to face grave consequences too. Tuchisvili wasn’t allowed to participate in the individual event, but he also had to sit out of the team events taking place at the Grand Palais Éphémère for the rest of the Summer Games. Even though it seems like Teddy Riner has let this go like water off a duck’s back, what effect will this have on their next reunion? We will just have to wait and watch.