David Douillet
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's judo | ||
Representing  France
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| Olympic Games | ||
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Atlanta 1996 | +95 kg |
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Sydney 2000 | +100 kg |
 |
Barcelona 1992 | +95 kg |
| World Championships | ||
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1993 Hamilton | +95 kg |
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1995 Chiba | +95 kg |
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1995 Chiba | Open |
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1997 Paris | +95 kg |
| European Championships | ||
|
1994 Gdańsk | +95 kg |
 |
1993 Athens | +95 kg |
|
1991 Prague | +95 kg |
|
1992 Paris | +95 kg |
David Douillet (French pronunciation: [david duˈjɛ]; born 17 February 1969) is a retired French judoka and politician.
Douillet was born in the city of Rouen. Standing at 1.96 meters (6 feet 5 inches) and weighing 125 kilograms (276 pounds), he won the judo heavyweight gold medals in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games in Atlanta and Sydney. He also gained four world titles and a European crown. These achievements make him one of the most decorated judoka in history. The size of David Douillet (1 m 96 and more than 120 kg in his period of competition) classified him in the heavyweight division. After finishing his sporting career, he maintained his popularity by engaging with Bernadette Chirac in the charity “Operation Yellow coins" (). He also became a consulting sportsman for Canal+.
He was elected deputy to the French National Assembly on 18 October 2009 and on 26 September 2011 became the new Sports Minister until May 2012.
David Douillet began judo at age 11, in the commune of , near his birthplace of Rouen. Having exceptional physical size for someone his age (1,80 m and 80 kg), he was instructed by Jacques Lemaître who taught him the rudiments of the sport. Quickly becoming attracted to the Japanese martial art, he distinguished himself on the tatamis, and thanks to his school results, integrated the study of the sport at the school Victor et Hélène Basch, near the University of Rennes. In 1986, when Douillet was 17, he was noticed during a demonstration by who brought him into INSEP (National institute of sport and physical education).
He was already heads above the others, and after what was seen on the mat, I immediately reserved a place for him; at INSEP, the center of the elite of the French athletics.
Consequently, the Norman youth could devote himself to his passion, while continuing his education in the Paris region, Maisons-Alfort, and involving himself at the INSEP facility of Bois de Vincennes, the côterie of the best French judokas. There, he met his idol Fabien Canu, double world champion in 1987 and 1989. With strength and drive, Douillet obtained his first awards in his age class. In 1988, he became French junior champion, then obtained fifth place at the European championships. Rising again to the top of the national standings in 1989, he captured the European bronze medal in Athens, again as a junior.
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