Paris –

Tatsuru Saito won the respect and admiration of French fans during Japan’s loss to the host nation in the mixed team judo final at the Paris Olympics.

The 22-year-old Saito battled French superstar Teddy Riner, a five-time Olympic medalist, for nearly 14 minutes across two bouts during the contest between the judo powers at Champ de Mars Arena on Aug. 3. Saito lost both times, including in the golden score tiebreaker period that ended the competition. The grit and determination he showed in two lengthy matchups against one of the best judoka alive, however, caught the attention of many fans in France, where judo is a beloved sport.

They joined Japanese fans in loudly cheering for him during the medal ceremony and praised him in posts on social media.

“Keep your head up champion!” one user wrote in response to a post where Saito expressed disappointment about his performance at the Olympics. “All of France has nothing but respect and admiration for you and for Japan.”

The French Judo Federation’s official account responded to the same post by saying “Respect! Thank you for these beautiful fights!”

Riner, a five-time Olympic medalist and already a legend in the sport, added his booming voice to the chorus on Thursday.

“I want to affirm, after our last match, that your impressive performance commands the respect of your opponents, my respect,” Riner wrote to Saito in a message posted on his X and Instagram accounts. "Your determination and fighting spirit impressed me and pushed me to surpass myself. It was an honor to meet you on the tatami.

“Setbacks are an integral part of our progress and often teach us as much, if not more, than victories. I am convinced that you will come back even stronger.

"Looking forward to seeing you again, my friend!”

Saito responded to Riner’s posts in an Instagram story on Thursday, saying, “It was an (honor) to fight with (a) legend. Please accept my challenge in four years.”

Saito, the son of late two-time Olympic champion Hitoshi Saito, did not reach the heights he had hoped to achieve in Paris.

His quest to win gold in the over 100-kg competition ended with a semifinal loss against Kim Min-jong, who earned victory over the Japanese star via ippon. That dropped Saito into a match for a bronze medal, and he left the singles competition empty-handed after losing to Uzbekistan’s Alisher Yusupov.

"I ended up with a pitiful result," Saito said, according to Kyodo News. "I promised my father that I would win an Olympic title. I have to do it in four years' time in Los Angeles."

Saito fell against Spain’s Nikoloz Sherazadishvili during an early round of the team competition before his losses against Riner in the final.

“I think this was my destiny,” he said in a post on X where he apologized for not getting a better result in the individual and team events. “I will definitely come back in four years.”