French judo icon Teddy Riner wins his 3rd individual Olympic gold in front of passionate home crowd

PARIS (AP) — The stands at Champs de Mars filled up quickly. One fan dressed in a white martial arts uniform waved a French flag. A woman next to him held up a poster with the face of one of the biggest sports stars in France. Crowds of people bounced up and down and shook the floor of the arena where judo is being played in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Many of them were there to see Teddy Riner, the hometown judo icon who delivered once again for France on Friday. He capped his incredible career by becoming the second three-time individual Olympic gold medalist in judo history in one of the most electrifying events of the Paris Games so far. The 35-year-old heavyweight defeated South Korea's Kim Min-jong for the gold in his fifth Olympics.

"This day is just incredible, and I hope that more athletes have a perfect day like this at home," Riner said.

He added that he'll need some time to really soak in the moment.

“I don’t think I’ll sleep good (tonight),” he said, “but it’s a dream, a real dream.”

An 11-time world champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Riner is one of the most popular and beloved figures in any sport from France.

Riner was France's flag bearer during the opening ceremony and joined retired French track and field sprinter Marie-José Pérec in lighting the cauldron at the end of the night.

Riner is widely considered the greatest judoka the sport has ever seen. He had a 10-year unbeaten streak in which he dominated opponents with his imposing size and athleticism.

Riner had the opportunity to match Olympic history with three gold medals three years ago in Tokyo but that chance evaporated with a surprising loss to Russian Tamerlan Bashaev in the quarterfinals. Riner rallied for a bronze medal and still took home gold in the mixed team event. He turned that moment of disappointment into hope for the future, with his next opportunity only three years away.

Riner said he changed his routine after the Tokyo Games, including traveling to different countries like Brazil to train.

“It's difficult when you have a family,” he said, “but when you win like this today, you understand why.”

With a first-round bye, Riner rolled through the second round and quarterfinals Friday afternoon, setting up a much-anticipated semifinal against Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan.

He drew the loudest cheers from the crowd at Champs de Mars, which roared when he walked onto the red-and-yellow tatami, and cheered even louder when he finished Rakhimov with an ippon that secured his spot in the final.

“All of these people come for you," Riner said. "You have a big smile, and you take this and you go fight.”

Riner joins a trio of French stars at the home Olympics. Basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama is the leader of the country's men’s basketball team that is hoping to challenge the defending champion United States for gold. Léon Marchand has dominated in the pool with three gold medals.

France, one of the world’s top judo nations, still has the mixed team competition on Saturday, looking for its second straight gold in the event after defeating rival Japan to win its first mixed team tournament in Tokyo.

The French judo team was already off to a hot start. Luka Mkheidze and Shirine Boukli won France’s first two medals of the Paris Olympics last weekend, with Mkheidze claiming silver and Boukli winning bronze.

Riner said he looks forward to potentially competing in the Los Angeles Games in 2028, after taking time to rest.

After another masterful ippon in the final, Riner shook his head in triumph. The crowd chanted his name. He fell to his knees with his arms stretched wide above him, ending the night where he’s been so many times before. On top.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Golden medalist France's Teddy Riner poses after the judo men's +100 kg event in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Medal winners, from left, Uzbekistan's Alisher Yusupov, Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov, bronze, France's Teddy Riner, gold, South Korea's Kim Min-jong, silver, pose after the judo men's +100 kg event in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Spectators celebrate as they watch from a fan zone set up at the Club France, as France's Teddy Riner defeated South Korea's Kim Min-jong during their men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

South Korea's Kim Min-jong and France's Teddy Riner compete during their men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

France's Teddy Riner celebrates after defeating South Korea's Kim Min-jong during their men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

France's Teddy Riner celebrates after defeating South Korea's Kim Min-jong during their men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Fans of France cheer holding banner depicts France's Teddy Riner during men's +100 kg elimination round match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov and France's Teddy Riner compete during their men's +100 kg semifinal match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Fans of France cheer holding banner depicts France's Teddy Riner ahead the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

France's Teddy Riner celebrates after defeating Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov during their men's +100 kg semifinal match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

France's Teddy Riner celebrates after defeating Tajikistan's Temur Rakhimov during their men's +100 kg semifinal match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

South Korea's Min-Jong Kim and France's Teddy Riner compete during their men's +100 kg final match in the team judo competition, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on Tuesday after his indictment on undisclosed criminal charges.

The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

The indictment detailing the charges was expected to be unsealed Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, called the new indictment an “unjust prosecution.”

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said in a statement late Monday.

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that “neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” he added.

A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

This story has been corrected to show that Combs' age is 54, not 58.

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)