It’s time for Clarisse Agbégnénou to put her title back on the line. Olympic champion in the under 63 kg category in Tokyo three years ago, the French judoka has the chance to win a fourth Olympic medal, this time at home, on Tuesday, July 30, at the Arena Champ-de-Mars in Paris. The elimination rounds begin at 10 a.m., and the finals will be held from 4 p.m.
A competition before his daughter’s eyes. Since her victory in Tokyo, a lot has happened in Clarisse Agbégnénou’s life. In addition to winning a sixth world champion title (2023), the Frenchwoman gave birth to a daughter in June 2022. “VS“It’s a good motivation. It’s good to go back to the Games with a family, to tell yourself that you’re fighting for something, not just for yourself.”she had affirmed in 2021.
A mixed 2023-2024 season. As she approaches her third Olympic Games, it is difficult to know what form Clarisse Agbégnénou is in. Victorious at the Grand Slams in Paris and Tashkent in 2024, the Rennes player “only” took 3rd place at the world championships the same year, eliminated by Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard in the quarter-finals. In November 2023, in Montpellier, the six-time world champion did not manage to reach the podium at the European championships.
Youth at the rendezvous? Will youth take over? At 21, Dutchwoman Joanne van Lieshout is one of the big favourites for the competition. World number one, the judoka is the reigning world champion. In the final, she won against another hopeful of world judo, Polish Angelika Szymanska, 24. Clarisse Agbégnénou, 31, will also have to be wary of former Canadian world number one, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, 3rd in Tokyo, and Slovenian Andreja Leski, always present in the big events.