Meet Teddy Riner : French judo champion

Despite his recent shoulder injury and surgery, 25-year-old French judoka heavyweight, Teddy Riner, claimed his sixth consecutive world championship. He beat Japanese star, Ryu Shichinohe, in the over 100kg
division during the final on Saturday in Russia.

Teddy, who is 6’8” tall and weighs in at 131kg, was born in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, but grew up with his family in the Paris region. As a kid he showed talent for a handful of sports, but took a decisive step toward judo at the age of 15.

He first exploded onto the international judo scene at the 2007 World Judo Championships in Rio de Janeiro, where he beat Russian judoka Tamerlan Tmenov – then a four-time European champion 12 years Teddy’s senior – to claim gold.

The following year he won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, before racking up four world championships in as many years, and a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In a sport in which athletes are expected to keep utmost poise in defeat as in victory, “Teddy” is also famous for wearing his heart on his judogi. He is known for lifting coaches over his head after victories and raging at judges for alleged bad calls.

If Teddy can win another gold medal in Rio in 2016, he could become France’s undisputed all-time best. Before then, David Douillet, a retired French judoka in the +100kg division, a four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist remains no. 1 MVP in France's Judo history.

Teddy, nicknamed "Teddy Bear" or "Big Ted", became a father for the first time in april when his partner, Luthna, gave birth to a baby boy.

As handsome as he is, the star is taken :(