The French national team arrives in Baku full of confidence, with four world champions in their ranks.
With a target of four gold medals reward set by Stéphane Nomis, the president of the French Federation, and four world champions present at the World Championships in (October 4-11), including Clarisse Agbégnénou just seven months after the birth of her second child, the French team arrives in Baku with great desire and ambition.
Four gold medals is the minimum objective set by Stéphane Nomis, president of the French Judo Federation, for these World Championships award, held midway through the Olympic cycle leading up to 2028, the first of which count towards Olympic quota places. Despite the absence of Teddy Riner (withdrawn due to injury), this is within reach for the French team, even though four of the fourteen weight categories with (-52 kg, -81 kg, -100 kg, +100 kg) have not been filled, in order to double up on seven of them with (-63 kg, -78 kg, +78 kg, -60 kg, -66 kg, -73 kg, -90 kg) within the limit of nine judokas per gender.
France arrives with four world champions winner: Joan-Benjamin Gaba with (-73 kg) in 2022, Romane Dicko with (+78 kg) in 2011, the evergreen Audrey Tcheuméo with (36 years old, -78 kg) and six for Clarisse Agbégnénou who can join the Japanese icon, Ryoko Tamura-Tani (-48 kg), alone with seven titles.
“I’m physically and mentally ready for it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to win the competition,” confides Agbégnénou (33), who is capable of repeating her 2023 feat when she won the gold eleven months after the birth of Athena. Dakota was born just seven months ago on (March 11)! “I would be shocked because I never thought I’d be ready so soon, but at the same time, given the work I’ve put in…” assesses the 2021 Olympic champion in the -63 kg category.
In Baku, France also hopes to finally clinch the mixed team title, after the six finals, all lost to Japan. The Japanese are eager for revenge this time around, as France denied them two Olympic trophy in the year 2021 in Tokyo and 2024 in Paris.
