Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
David Douillet is a fascinating example of an athlete who reinvented himself entirely. As a judoka he was a giant of the heavyweight division, taking back-to-back Olympic golds in 1996 and 2000 plus four world titles, which puts him among the greatest the sport has produced. What intrigues me more is the second act: he moved into French politics and even served as a minister. That pivot from the mat to government is rare and rarely smooth, and I respect anyone who attempts it. His Legion of Honour and Silver Olympic Order mark a life of unusual breadth. Few champions trade one demanding arena for another like he did.
Overview
David Donald Hubert Roger Douillet (French: [david dɔnald ybɛʁ ʁɔʒe dujɛ]; born 17 February 1969, Rouen) is a French politician and retired judoka. Douillet won two consecutive gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney competing in the heavyweight division. He is also a four-time judo world champion and one-time European champion.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Douillet
- Name (Japanese)
- ダビド・ドゥイエ
- Reading
- だびど・どぅいえ
- Born
- February 17, 1969 (age 57)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rooster
- Origin
- Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- politician / judoka / minister
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 2000 L'Équipe Champion of Champions
- 2001 Silver Olympic Order
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Politician — see all → · Judoka — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.