TOKYO, Japan, Sept 9, (AFP): Towering Frenchman Teddy Riner grabbed a third straight heavyweight gold medal, as hosts Japan ended their men’s title drought on the first day of the world judo championships in Tokyo on Thursday.
“I have never thought of losing at any moment,” the 21-year-old Riner said as he stayed on course to retain his open-class crown on Monday and become the first man to win five world titles.
“I am happy with what I’ve done and I really feel like praising myself.”
The Guadeloupe-born judoka was drawn into extra time after a scoreless five minutes by 30-year-old German Andreas Toelzer in the over-100kg final.
Riner hurt his right ankle in an exchange of leg tricks with Toelzer, who won the high-profile Grand Slam event in Rio de Janeiro this year, but went on to floor him with a counter-attack for a yuko point.
“I will rest up no matter what now and go out there with full confidence on Monday,” said Riner, who has previously triumphed in the over-100kg in 2007 and 2009 and in the unlimited division in 2008, when the open event alone was held.

Apart from Riner, Japan clinched the men’s under-100kg and the women’s over-78kg titles, while Kayla Harrison became the second ever US woman and the first in 26 years to win a world judo title as she clinched the under-78kg title.
The world championships will move into lighter classes and wind up with showpiece open contests.
At the 2009 edition in Rotterdam, Japanese men failed to win a title for the first time since 1965 when the competition was expanded into different divisions from a format contested without weight limits.
They ended up with one silver and one bronze while Japanese women saved some of the country’s pride in their homegrown sport by winning three golds and two bronzes.

World points leader Takamasa Anai, third last year, won the under-100kg final by virtue of referee cautions for his opponent, Dutchman Henk Grol, the 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medallist.
Anai, who also beat 2007 bronze medallist Oreydi Despaigne of Cuba in the semi-finals, said he had been under pressure to lift Japanese men out of the wilderness.
“I felt I could never ever lose. I really wanted to produce results more than anything. I have taken one bout at a time,” he said.
Japanese men’s coach Shinichi Shinohara, a former heavyweight champion, said: “I feel good but our goal is not just one gold.

“If Anai lost, the rest of the team would have felt still greater pressure but they can now feel more relaxed, in a good sense.”
Mika Sugimoto won the women’s over-78kg heavyweight by beating China’s Qin Qian in the absence of her compatriot Tong Wen, who dominated the division for three straight meets.
But Tong, also the Olympic heavyweight champion, was stripped of the 2009 title and hit with a two-year ban in May for doping.
Sugimoto ended China’s winning streak in the division at five championships.
“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s surreal right now,” said Harrison, 20, after her surprise victory in the women’s under-78kg over Brazil’s Mayra Aguiar.
She had earlier beaten world number one Celine Lebrun of France in her third match.
Harrison is the first US world women’s champion since 1984, when Ann Maria Burns won the under-56kg title. No Americans have won an Olympic judo gold.
Before Riner, three Japanese — Shozo Fujii, Yasuhiro Yamashita and Naoya Ogawa — and David Douillet, one of the best French judokas of all time, won four men’s world titles. All are now retired.