France encompasses medieval cities, alpine villages, and Mediterranean beaches. Paris, its capital, is recognised for its fashion houses, classical art museums including the Louvre and monuments like the Eiffel Tower. The country is also popular for its wines and sophisticated cuisine. France is 551,695 km² with the population of 67.75 million (2021), most of whom probably tried judo at some point, nonetheless it’s safe to chance they all know about the gentle way.
The sports industry in France is highly developed and diverse. Judo is one of the most popular sports in the country. The National Judo Federation of France was established in 1946 and has been making its mark across the judo world ever since. Most recent statistics show that currently, there are around 512,504 people practising judo across 5156 clubs. The figures include overseas French territories such as the Réunion.
Angelo Parisi is a sensational former judoka who won four Olympic medals for two countries. Three of those were for the ‘Les Bleus’. Angelo, alongside former teammate, Thierry Rey, marked one page in the history book of France Judo as they hailed the country’s first ever Olympic gold medals in judo. The unforgettable moments were delivered during the Moscow 1980 Olympics where Thierry aced the -60kg category whilst Angelo conquered the +95kg category.
THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME
France have won the total of 57 individual Olympic medals so far and given that they are hosting the next summer Olympic Games; this will almost certainly grow. To date, there are a total of 15 Olympic victories achieved by 13 individuals.
France’s individual Olympic Gold Medallists in Judo
| 1980 Moscow | Angelo Parisi (+95kg) Thierry Rey (-60kg) |
| 1988 Seoul | Marc Alexandre (-71kg) |
| 1992 Barcelona | Cécile Nowak-Grasso (-48kg) Cathy Fleury (-61kg) |
| 1996 Atlanta | Djamel Bouras (-78kg) Marie-Claire Restoux-Gasset (-52kg) David Douillet (+95kg) |
| 2000 Sydney | David Douillet (+100kg) Séverine Vandenhende (-63kg) |
| 2012 London | Lucie Décosse (-70kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Emilie Andéol (+78kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) |
| 2020 Tokyo | Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
Former President of France Judo, former General Secretary of the International Judo Federation (IJF) and Vice-President of the European Judo Union (EJU), Executive Committee member of IJF and Honorary member of EJU, Mr Jean-Luc Rougé also carved a page in the story book when collecting the first World Championship title for the country. This momentum was established in 1975.
There are 193 senior world judo medals France can account for, of which 58-times the team was able to embrace the rhythm of the La Marseillaise. Two handfuls of these golden memories belong to judo icon, Teddy Riner. Below, the list of senior World Judo Champions of France.
| 1975 Vienna | Jean-Luc Rougé (-93kg) |
| 1979 Paris | Thierry Rey (-60kg) |
| 1980 New York | Jocelyne Triadou (-72kg) |
| 1981 Maastricht | Bernard Tchoullouyan (-86kg) |
| 1982 Paris | Béatrice Rodriguez (-56kg) Martine Rottier (-61kg) Brigitte Deydier (-66kg) Natalina Lupino (+72kg) |
| 1984 Vienna | Brigitte Deydier(-66kg) |
| 1986 Maastricht | Brigitte Deydier(-66kg) Dominique Brun-Maaoui (-52kg) |
| 1987 Essen | Cathy Arnaud (-56kg) Fabien Canu (-86kg) |
| 1989 Belgrade | Cathy Arnaud (-56kg) Fabien Canu (-86kg) |
| 1991 Barcelona | Cécile Nowak-Grasso (-52kg) Stéphane Traineau (-95kg) |
| 1993 Hamilton | David Douillet (+95kg) |
| 1995 Chiba | David Douillet (+95kg) David Douillet (Open Weight Category) Marie-Claire Restoux-Gasset (-52kg) |
| 1997 Paris | David Douillet (+95kg) Marie-Claire Restoux-Gasset (-52kg) Séverine Vandenhende (-61kg) Christine Cicot (+72kg) |
| 1999 Birmingham | Larbi Benboudaoud (-66kg) |
| 2001 Munich | Céline Lebrun (Open Weight Category) Frédéric Demontfaucon (-90kg) |
| 2005 Cairo | Lucie Décosse (-63kg) |
| 2007 Rio de Janeiro | Gévrise Emane (-70kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) |
| 2008 Paris | Teddy Riner (Open Weight Category) |
| 2009 Rotterdam | Teddy Riner (+100kg) Morgane Ribout (-57kg) |
| 2010 Tokyo | Lucie Décosse (-70kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) |
| 2011 Paris | Lucie Décosse (-70kg) Gévrise Emane (-63kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) Audrey Tcheuméo (-78kg) |
| 2013 Rio de Janiero | Teddy Riner (+100kg) Loïc Pietri (-81kg) |
| 2014 Chelyabinsk | Teddy Riner (+100kg) Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
| 2015 Astana | Gévrise Emane (-70kg) Teddy Riner (+100kg) |
| 2017 Budapest | Teddy Riner (+100kg) Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
| 2017 Marrakech | Teddy Riner (Open Weight Category) |
| 2018 Baku | Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
| 2019 Tokyo | Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) Marie-Eve Gahié (-70kg) Madeleine Malonga (-78kg) |
| 2021 Budapest | Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
| 2023 Doha | Teddy Riner (+100kg) Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) |
The National Judo Federation of France conquered Europe’s rostrum 569 times during individual events. France also hosted several team events since 1975 with the latest of those being the 2022 European Judo Championships Mixed Team event. The overall medal table of the senior European Championships between 1952-2022 displays France on top with the total of 239 gold, 165 silver and 247 bronze medals. This tally includes team events and open weight categories too. Yet, the first ever French judoka to call themselves European Champion and marking another important moment, was Bernard Pariset, who won the title in Paris 1951.
The first ever French judoka to win a senior European Championships, Bernard Pariset, who claimed the title in Paris 1951. © France Judo
We are days away from the 2023 European Judo Championships which will take place in Montpellier, France. It will be the 10th time that the individual senior European Championships are held in this judo-devoted country. The first ever European Championships were held in 1951, in Paris.
KATA, VETERAN AND THE YOUTH
France is not only acing tournaments after tournament at the senior level but also at cadet, junior, Kata and Veteran events. Since its existence, the nation claimed countless world and continental victories within these categories. This year was no different.
France’s latest cadet European Champions are Alyssia Poulange (-52kg) and Leonie Minkada-Caquineau (+70kg). Melkia Auchecorne became junior World Champion this month when she conquered the -63kg. Alwena and Eleobane Le Coadou aced gold during the 2023 Kata Europeans. The sisters precisely won the Ju No Kata 2G division.
TEAM FRANCE
France is not only famous for their winning streak in individual events but equally so when it comes to team events. During the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, the mixed-team event was introduced for the first time. The French team jumped to the opportunity to open another page in their history books when defeating Japan in the final.
EUROS 2023
Every year, events such as the Tour de France, the Paris Marathon, the French Open Tennis Tournament, the Six Nations Rugby Championship, and the Paris Judo Grand Slam attract more and more visitors. To participate at the latter is one of many judoka’s life goal, as the Bercy stadium holds a special place in the heart of all.
Next week, the list will extend with the earlier mentioned senior Europeans. Team France is ready for action at the Sud de France Arena. A team filled with European, World and Olympic medallists, some of whom are current title holders of these prestigious events. The tally will undoubtedly and heavily expand by the end of next week.
PARIS 2024
Whilst all judo eyes are on France next week, the world is also watching closely as we are approaching the 2024 summer games, which is to be held in Paris. The event will take place between 26 July – 11 August 2024. In judo, the host nation is eligible to enter one judoka in each weight class. Whilst avoiding the distress of qualifying, this set up can still put significant pressure on both the athletes and officials, as the merit of judoka in this country is above the norm. One indisputable note for Paris 2024: Team France, once more, will greatly increase their medal count.
Are you ready for Paris 2024? Double Olympic medallist, Clarisse Agbegnenou certainly is. Take a look at the video below. See you in Paris!
Off the mat…Did you know?
- France is the most visited country in the world. Approximately 89 million people stop by each year.
- French people eat 30,000 tonnes of snails every year.
- The oldest person in the world was French, named Jeanne Calment. She lived 122 years and 164 days.
- The camera phone was invented in France. Philippe Kahn originally invented the now universal camera phone in 1997.
- France has the most time zones. Owing to the number of territories it governs beyond Europe. France has the most time zones out of any country, twelve to be exact. That is twice as many as the United States.
Author: Szandra Szogedi