Parade of Olympic Champions: Why Double Gold Medalist Teddy Riner Fought With His Tie

Emmanuel Macron reboutonne la chemise de Teddy Riner avant de lui remettre la légion d’honneur, samedi. MAXPPP – SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL

The only athlete in costume at the athletes' ceremony on Saturday, Teddy Riner, a double gold medalist at Paris 2024, faced a challenge more insurmountable than an ippon on a tatami: wearing a tie and buttoning his shirt collar.

The challenge seemed more inaccessible than planting an ippon on an opponent on a tatami: double Olympic champion Teddy Riner, the only athlete in costume on Saturday at the “Parade of Champions”, displayed an unusual game to the 70,000 spectators on the Champs Elysées. A fight&hellip with tie and shirt collar buttons.

The tie, the judoka finally tears it off, after having walked the podium, and desperately tried to loosen the knot that was suffocating him. In the process, the champion popped the last button on his shirt collar.

A short-lived relief: when it was time to make him a Commander of the National Order of Merit, President Emmanuel Macron rebuttoned Riner's shirt collar, who had already put his tie back on.

“I'm loosening my tie because it's hot”

“Thank you for these Olympic Games, thank you. I'm loosening my tie because it's hot, but we've had some great times here. It's incredible that you're still here with us. You're making us go back up on this cloud again", the judoka whispered to the cheering audience.

The scene in any case amused his fans on social networks: "We played a bad joke on Teddy Riner to come in a suit", one of them joked on X. “Why is Teddy coming all alone, in a suit ?”, another one wonders.