Judo Star Teddy Riner, 37, Says He Will Run for French President

Teddy Riner, a three-time Olympic judo champion, said he will run for president of France. The 37-year-old announced his candidacy in an interview with the French outlet Le Parisien on Monday, according to The Independent.

Riner has no political experience, but he is a well-known and popular figure in France. He said he will not run on a left-wing or right-wing ticket and wants to focus on bringing the French people together.

What Riner said about his candidacy

Riner's campaign slogan is “The France we want,” The Independent reported. He said the campaign intends to “show that we can turn France around.”

In his Le Parisien interview, Riner described France as a great country that allowed him to become who he is and gave him the chance to dream big. He said that ambition and hope are now missing. He also said he sees divisions across society and does not accept hearing young people say it is hard to imagine a future. That, he said, is why he decided to become a candidate.

He said the experience of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 inspired the move. According to Riner, he watched a whole country come together, proud and happy, and concluded that this unity could be achieved beyond the Games.

Who Riner is

Riner was born in Guadeloupe and grew up in Paris. He is a nine-time heavyweight world champion and a two-time openweight world champion. His Olympic record includes three individual gold medals, two mixed team gold medals and two bronze medals.

He carried the Olympic torch ahead of the 2024 Games in Paris. At the opening ceremony, he lit the cauldron alongside retired sprinter Marie-Jose Perec.

Riner had hinted before that he might enter politics. In an interview last year, he said he sees himself as a citizen first and an athlete second. He said that if he went into politics, it would not be to serve as a minister but to change things, and that the best role would be president.

Why it matters for the race to succeed Macron

An election to choose Emmanuel Macron's successor is due in April of next year, The Independent reported. Macron has served two consecutive terms and cannot run again.

Riner's entry adds a candidate with wide name recognition but no record in elected office. By declining to align with the left or the right, he is presenting himself outside the traditional divide in French politics. The sources do not report any party backing, policy platform or polling for his campaign, so it is not yet clear how much support he will draw.

What happens to his judo career

Riner said running for president will not end his judo career. He also said it does not rule out competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent