Teddy Riner established a strict household boundary to separate his elite sporting career from his role as a father, ensuring that professional accolades never cross his threshold.
The heavyweight judoka has this rule for daily life alongside his partner, Luthna Plocus, and their two children, Eden, born in 2014, and a daughter born in 2018.
“À la maison, quand je rentre, on ne parle pas de judo ; je suis le papa, le mari et pas le champion, jamais !” said Teddy Riner, detailing the arrangement to Gala.
Family life away from the tatami
Plocus explained their domestic dynamic in Paris Match, noting that their partnership functions independently of athletic status.
“Je ne suis ni sa secrétaire ni sa petite maman. Nous formons un duo équilibré et interchangeable. Sauf que je suis incapable d’aller sur les tatamis à sa place. Ses compétitions, il les a gagnées tout seul !” said Luthna Plocus.
The couple appeared together in August 2024 at the Parc des Princes in Paris for the Olympic men’s football final, where Thierry Henry’s France squad suffered a 5-3 extra-time defeat against Spain to secure the silver medal.
That evening gathered numerous notable figures in the stands, including Gabriel Attal, Anne Hidalgo, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Gérard Lanvin, Didier Deschamps, Arsène Wenger, and Tony Parker alongside his partner at the time, Agathe.
Historic gold at Paris 2024
Weeks before the football final, Riner secured two gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
He claimed the individual plus-100 kilogram title by defeating South Korea’s Kim Min-jong by ippon, before adding a second gold in the mixed team event following a decisive ippon against Japan to seal a 4-3 victory in the final.
Those victories brought his career Olympic gold medal tally to five, establishing him as the most decorated French athlete in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, alongside his eleven world championship titles.
Following his individual victory—his third career Olympic singles title after previous triumphs at London 2012 and Rio 2016—Riner walked directly into the stands for an extended embrace with his son Eden, who was then 10 years old.
Plocus attended the football final wearing a custom denim jacket adorned with patches, including a smiling emoji and a purple bear, as Riner celebrated a historic summer that began with lighting the Olympic cauldron alongside Marie-José Pérec.
