Judo champion shakes up French presidential race with surprise candidacy
Summary
French judoka Teddy Riner has announced a candidacy for next April’s presidential election, despite having no political experience, party backing or manifesto so far. His popularity has drawn attention to the race as France’s political centre struggles to find a candidate who can compete with Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.Key Facts
- Riner is a 37-year-old athlete born in Guadeloupe.
- He has won five Olympic gold medals and 11 world championships.
- His campaign slogan is “La France qu’on aime,” or “The France we love.”
- Riner says he is neither left nor right and wants to unite the country and put money back in people’s pockets.
- More than 28 million people watched his campaign video on Instagram and X, according to the article.
- An Ifop poll found that 22% of respondents said they could vote for Riner.
- Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon appear positioned to face each other in the presidential election’s final round, according to the article.
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