Judo Legend Teddy Riner Throws His Hat Into France's 2027 Presidential Race

Riner revealed his candidacy in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien on Monday, saying his goal is to unite the French public and that he would position himself firmly between the blocs — neither to the right, nor the left. The election is scheduled for 18 April 2027, with a second round on 2 May if no candidate wins a majority. He would be running to replace incumbent President Emmanuel Macron.

The credentials are heavyweight in more than one sense. Riner owns nine world titles in the heavyweight category and Olympic gold from 2012, 2016 and 2024, and stands alone as the only judoka ever to collect 12 medals at the World Judo Championships. Away from the mat he hosts Netflix's Love is Blind: France with partner Luthna Plocus, and his TR Leader Group holding company holds interests spanning audiovisual production, real estate, sports apparel and commercial branding.

He enters a race already split down the middle. A Toluna Harris Interactive poll for RTL and M6, also published Monday, put far-right candidate Marine Le Pen on 34% to 36% of voting intentions, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon on 18% to 19%, centrist Édouard Philippe on 11% to 14% and centre-left Raphaël Glucksmann on 11% to 13%.

The announcement lands after weeks of civil unrest in France. Student protests over staff shortages and dilapidated schools have snowballed into wider demonstrations about the country's direction, fuelled by the rising cost of living and fears over what AI means for jobs and labor rights.