Teddy Riner is what we call an icon of French sport. The 32-year-old judoka has won everything and has dominated his sport for fifteen years now. An undivided reign that relegated the former glory of judo, David Douillet , to second place in the pantheon of the greatest French judokas. If his experience last summer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo started off rather badly with an individual bronze medal, the mixed team victory over host country Japan erased his disappointment .
Reinvigorated in France, the 2.04 m colossus took advantage of his good career to afford a great family vacation . Because beyond being a huge champion, Teddy Riner is also an exemplary dad, very close to his children, Eden (born in April 2014) and Isis (born in October 2018), born from his relationship with his partner Luthna Plocus . Very close to them, the judoka chose to have them quite young, which allows him to do a lot of things with them. “I can take my children during my courses and my competitions. I live it happily in their company. If I had waited, I should have told them about the judoka I had been. There, we share these beautiful memories”, he says in an interview.
I hope my two children will stand out in the stands
Children who are also a motivation in his professional life. “Without them, I don’t know if I would still be in judo, to practice” , assures Teddy Riner and the objective is now very clear: “Ten years later, for the Paris Games of 2024, I hope that my two children will sit prominently in the stands, seated in the front row. ”
Not hesitating to share moments of complicity with Eden and Isis, the native of Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) tries to instill in them a passion for sport. “As soon as we can practice a sporting activity together, we do it. On vacation, we ride bikes, use scooters. (…) My world is made up like this. Every free time is devoted to sport, therefore to ‘fun. This is my way of sharing moments with my son and my daughter, ” he sums up. A golden dad who intends to win a new Olympic medal in his country and in his city in 2024!