Riner calls Macron's backing a 'poisoned chalice' in French election race

Teddy Riner spent Saturday putting daylight between himself and the Élysée. Campaigning at a trade fair for products made in France, the judo great brushed off Emmanuel Macron's warm words about his presidential run. The five-time Olympic gold medallist told reporters the endorsement lands badly: if he had to describe the president's congratulations, it would be more like a poisoned chalice. His message was blunt: I'm not the president's envoy.

Macron had said on Monday that Riner entering the 2027 race could only benefit the country. The 37-year-old, born in the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe, announced his candidacy saying he feared France could soon become deeply divided, pitching himself at voters unwilling to choose between the far right and the hard left. He insists he is neither from the left nor the right — though some accuse him of angling to follow in Macron's footsteps.

The timing is awkward for the president. Macron's popularity is at its lowest since he first won office in 2017, according to recent polls, as nationwide protests rock the country. Surveys project far-right leader Marine Le Pen winning the first round of the 2027 vote, with hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon qualifying to face her in a runoff. The centre-right, meanwhile, has failed to unite behind one contender: former prime minister Edouard Philippe has slid from second to third in recent surveys.

Riner has begun fleshing out a platform. In an interview with Le Parisien, he hinted he would favour a pension reform and a cut in social security contributions — positions that could pull in centre-right voters. He has also deplored that a young person's future can be shattered just because they don't have the right connections, the right name or the right skin colour, a line aimed squarely at the left.