French Olympian Teddy Riner announces presidential bid

PARIS — Five-time Olympic gold medalist Teddy Riner is running to be French president.

The legendary judoka told French daily Le Parisien in an article published Monday that he will enter the already crowded race to succeed current President Emmanuel Macron to “show that we can turn France around.”

Riner said that he did not see himself as a candidate either on the left or the right of the political spectrum, but instead is running to combat what he called a rising sense of dread and resignation among people young and old.

“France is a great country. It has allowed me to become the person I am today and has given me the opportunity to dream big. Today, that’s what’s missing. That ambition is gone; that hope is gone,” he told Le Parisien.

Riner has no political experience, but he is one of France’s most popular athletes, and lit the Olympic cauldron at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony. He hinted about a possible presidential run last year.