David Douillet
Power, finesse and a championship uchi mata
- Born
- February 17, 1969, Rouen, France
- Nationality
France- Height
- 196 cm (6′5″)
- Style
- Uchi mata heavyweight
- Weight
- +95 kg, +100 kg, Open
- Active
- 1991–2000
- Status
- Retired · age 57
The medals
2 Olympic golds and a bronze, 4 world titles
The story
avid Douillet started judo at 11 near Rouen; at 17 Jean-Luc Rougé saw him at a demonstration and recruited him to INSEP, France's national training centre. After an Olympic bronze in Barcelona in 1992, he won his first world title in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1993, then took both the heavyweight and open titles at the 1995 Worlds in Japan. At Atlanta 1996 he beat Naoya Ogawa in the semi-final and Ernesto Pérez in the final, sealing gold with uchi mata. A serious motorbike crash that autumn did not stop him winning a fourth world title in Paris in 1997. In Sydney in 2000 he edged Shinichi Shinohara in a disputed final for a second Olympic gold, then retired, later becoming France's sports minister.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- Olympic champion, heavyweight (1996, 2000)
- World champion, +95 kg (1993, 1995, 1997)
- World champion, open category (1995)
- European champion, +95 kg (1994)
- IJF Hall of Fame (2013)
- Olympic Order in silver (2001)
Defining matches
- 1995WINvs Sergei Kossorotov (World Championships open final, Chiba, by pin)
- 1996WINvs Naoya Ogawa (Atlanta Olympic semi-final)
- 1996WINvs Ernesto Pérez (Atlanta Olympic final, uchi mata)
- 1997WINvs Shinichi Shinohara (World Championships +95 kg final, Paris)
- 2000WINvs Shinichi Shinohara (Sydney Olympic final, disputed score)
Douillet used his size to win the grips first and then threw with uchi mata rather than muscling opponents over. For big grapplers: secure lapel and sleeve, move the opponent until their weight sits on the far leg, and only then commit to the inner-thigh throw.
