Teddy Riner

Sport: Judo

Nation: France

DOB: April 7, 1989

Career Highlights: Widely considered to be the most dominant judoka headed to London, Riner seems primed to make plenty of noise at the 2012 Games. With five world titles and two European championships under his belt, Riner has his eyes set on another first-place finish - this time on the biggest of stages. "It is the only medal I want," said Riner, ranked No. 1 in the world in the heavyweight division. "I've been preparing for this for four years." This colossal but versatile star, who won bronze at the 2008 Games, heads to this year’s Olympics riding plenty of momentum. Since gaining somewhat of a bad reputation for poor sportsmanship following a loss at the 2010 world championships, Riner has gone undefeated over a 32-match stretch. That run includes a gold medal at the IJF Grand Slam Tournoi de Paris in February. Already considered a superstar in his native France, the rest of the world will likely start to take notice of Riner’s tremendous ability if he claims gold in London.

Olympic History: 2008