Clarisse Agbegnenou


Clarisse Bogdanna Agbegnenou is a French judoka. Competing in the −63 kg weight division she won the European title in 2013, the world title in 2014, an Olympic silver medal at the Rio 2016 Games, an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and the bronze medal at the 2024 Games in Paris, in her home country.
𝕏 Gnougnou25FB ClarisseAgbIG clarisse_agbegnenou

Early life

Agbegnenou was born to Togolese parents; she holds a dual citizenship and maintains strong ties to both countries. Togo's president Faure Gnassingbe personally congratulated her after she won the 2014 world title.
She graduated from HEC Paris.

Sporting career

A member of Arts Martiaux d'Asnières, she was European junior champion and French vice-champion in the under 57 kg category in 2008, then French junior champion in the under 63 kg category in 2009, before entering INSEP. She joined the Judo Club Escales Argenteuil that same year, at the age of 16 and a half, and worked with the club's founding president, high-level coach Ahcène Goudjil.
In 2013, she won her first international gold medal, beating Russia's Marta Labazina at the European Judo Championships. In 2014, she defeated Israel's Yarden Gerbi by ippon to become world champion in under 63 kg.
Following a brawl involving her for violence committed at the INSEP against Anne-Fatoumata M'Bairo on 12 April 2013, she was sentenced by the Federation to a one-year suspended competition ban, then in July 2014 by the courts to 70 hours of community service and a fine of 2,780 euros.
She became Olympic vice-champion, winning the silver medal in the under 63 kg category at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, losing in the final to Slovenia's Tina Trstenjak. After the Games, she joined the Red Star Club de Champigny-sur-Marne.
A few months later, on 1 September 2017, she was crowned world champion in the under 63 kg category in Budapest, defeating Slovenia's Tina Trstenjak, who had beaten her in the final of the Olympic Games a year earlier.

2018

At the 2018 European Judo Championships in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, she wins the European under 63 kg crown against Slovenia's Tina Trstenjak, beating the latter by waza-ari after seven minutes of combat.
On 23 September 2018, at the World Championships in Baku, she defeated Japan's Miku Tashiro by ippon on the Golden Score to become world champion under 63 kg for the third time. At the World Judo Masters in Canton, she defeats Japan's Nami Nabekura in the final, remaining unbeaten throughout the 2018 season. In December, she is voted L'Équipe 2018 Champion of Champions along with Kevin Mayer.

2019 : Fourth European title and fourth world title

Nippon Budokan where Clarisse Agbégnénou earned her fourth world title and her two Olympic titles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
On 6 June 2019 she was named flag-bearer for the French delegation at the 2019 European Games in Minsk.
In the judo competitions, she won a fourth continental title, defeating Britain's Alice Schlesinger in the final. On 28 August 2019 Clarisse Agbégnénou became world champion for the fourth time at the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo's legendary martial arts and concert hall, beating Japan's Miku Tashiro by a golden score after a particularly remarkable eleven-minute bout.
She thus became the most successful French judoka in history, ahead of Lucie Décosse, Gévrise Émane and Brigitte Deydier, who each have three world titles, and remains unbeaten since December 2017.
At the end of December, she again won L'Équipe's Champion of Champions trophy, alongside Julian Alaphilippe.

2020: Fifth European title

The only title she lacks in 2020 is Olympic gold, which should have been at stake again on the tatami of the same Nippon Budokan in 2020.
She won a fifth European title at the 2020 European Judo Championships in Prague.

2021: Fifth world title and two Olympic gold medals

She won a fifth world title on 9 June 2021, at the 2021 World Judo Championships in Budapest, where she won all five of her bouts by ippon, triumphing in the final over Slovenia's Andreja Leški.
On 5 July 2021 she was named flag-bearer for the French delegation to the 2020 Summer Olympics by the CNOSF, along with gymnast Samir Aït Saïd.
On 27 July 2021, four days after leading her delegation in the opening ceremony, she took her revenge in the final against Slovenia's Tina Trstenjak, who had beaten her at the Rio Games. After 37 seconds in the Golden score, and thanks to a sweep that gave her Waza-ari, she won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 32 Olympic Games. Four days later, she won mixed team gold with Romane Dicko, Axel Clerget, Sarah-Léonie Cysique, Guillaume Chaine and Teddy Riner, after beating the Japanese team 4-1 in the final.

Medals

Olympics

World Championships

European Championships

  • Gold Medal at the 2020 European Championships in Prague.
  • Gold Medal at the 2019 European Championships in Minsk.
  • Gold Medal at the 2018 European Championships in Tel Aviv.
  • 2008 European Cadet Champion
  • Bronze Medal at the 2012 European Championships in Chelyabinsk.
  • Team Silver Medal at the 2012 European Championships in Chelyabinsk.
  • Gold Medal at the 2013 European Championships in Budapest.

National French Championships

  • Gold Medal at the 2012 National French Championships.
  • Gold Medal at the 2010 National French Championships.
  • Gold Medal at the 2009 National French Championships.

Miscellaneous