Sawt Falasteen - France's Riner lands record fourth Olympic judo gold

The 35-year-old Riner is just the second three-time individual Olympic gold medallist in judo history, emulating Japan's Tadahiro Nomura, who won three successive titles in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

Riner, a record 11-time world champion, lit the Olympic cauldron alongside Marie-Jose Perec in Paris and was a flag-bearer for his country at the 2016 Rio Games.

He is one of just three French athletes with four golds at the Summer Olympics, joining Lucien Gaudin and Christian d'Oriola -- both fencers.

Biathlete Martin Fourcade holds the outright French record as a five-time Winter Olympics champion, a tally Riner could match when he competes in the mixed team event on Saturday.

Riner won bronze on his Olympic debut in 2008. After winning gold in London and Rio, he fell short in his bid for a third consecutive +100kg title in Tokyo, settling for another bronze.

But he won gold in the mixed team event in Japan.

But the hometown icon, widely considered the greatest judoka of all time, did not disappoint at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in the French capital, finishing off his opponent with an ippon to secure the gold and spark frenzied celebrations.

H.Nasr--SF-PST