France was eliminated by South Korea in the quarter -finals of the team event test of the World Judo Championships in Budapest. The reigning Olympic champions were unlucky, when roulette designated the -90kg category for the decisive fight, because Angel Gustan was injured and could not defend his chances. Then beaten in draft, the Blues ended these 2025 Worlds badly.
This had been one of the magic moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the final of the judo team test, while the score was 3-3 between France and Japan, a draw had to designate the category which was going to compete in the decisive fight, and the roulette had stopped on the +100kg, the Teddy Riner category, which had won and offered the supreme title madness. A year later, the “Rouourne turned”, as Franck Ribéry would say. In the quarterfinals of the team test of the World Championships in Budapest, the score was 3-3 between France and South Korea, and it was therefore necessary to rely. A coincidence that designated the category of +90kg. However, the French representative of this category, Angel Gustan, had just injured himself, and therefore declared forfeit, sending the South Koreans to the semi-finals.
No luck for France, which will have to wait a year, at least, to win a first world team by team. In the wake of this blow of fate, the French were opposed to Brazil as a draft, with the hope of then going to fight for the bronze medal, but they bowed 4-1 against Brazil, with defeats by Julia Tolofua, Tieman Diaby, Faiza Mokdar and Marie-Eve Gahié, while Joan-Benjamin Gaba had gave hope to his team. The French delegation will therefore have only won one gold medal during these post-Jo Worlds, where it was deprived of her two headliners Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbegnenou: that of Joan-Benjamin Gaba in -73kg.
France had already been hot against Russia
If the Blues were eliminated in quarters this Friday, they also went very close to losing in the first round. Opposed to the Russians (who compete under a neutral banner) for their entry into the running, they found themselves led 3-1 after the defeats of Maxime-Gaël Ngayap, Romane Dicko and Tieman Diaby (for a victory by Marie-Eve Gahié), but managed to equalize thanks to Sarah-Léonie Cysique and Joan-Benjamin Gaba.
It was therefore necessary to use roulette, which designated the -90kg, and Maxime -Gaël Ngayap then took his revenge by carrying it in eleven seconds. Faced with the South Koreans, Ngayap, Angel Gustan and Faiza Mokdar bowed, and Julia Tolofua, Joan-Benjamin Gaba and Marie-Eve Gahié won. Before chance gets involved.
