France at the 1896 Summer Olympics
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| France at the Olympic Games | ||||
 Flag of France |
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| IOC code: | FRA | |||
| NOC: | Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français external link (French) |
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| 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens | ||||
| Competitors | 3 in 6 sports | |||
| Medals | Gold 5 |
Silver 4 |
Bronze 2 |
Total 11 |
| Summer Olympic Games appearances | ||||
| 1896 • 1900 • 1904 • 1908 • 1912 • 1920 • 1924 • 1928 • 1932 • 1936 • 1948 • 1952 • 1956 • 1960 • 1964 • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1996 • 2000 • 2004 | ||||
| Winter Olympic Games appearances | ||||
| 1924 • 1928 • 1932 • 1936 • 1948 • 1952 • 1956 • 1960 • 1964 • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 | ||||
Thirteen athletes from France competed in six sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics. France won the fourth-most gold medals with 5 and the fourth-most total medals with 11. Cycling was the sport in which the French competitors had the most success, as they completely dominated the field. The French team had 27 entries in 18 events, winning 11 medals.
Contents |
[edit] Medals
[edit] Gold
- Léon Flameng - cycling, 100 kilometres
- Eugène-Henri Gravelotte - fencing, amateur foil
- Paul Masson - cycling, 333 metres
- Paul Masson - cycling, 2 kilometres
- Paul Masson - cycling, 10 kilometres
[edit] Silver
- Henri Callot - fencing, amateur foil
- Léon Flameng - cycling, 10 kilometres
- Jean Maurice Perronet - fencing, masters foil
- Alexandre Tuffèri - athletics, triple jump
[edit] Bronze
- Léon Flameng - cycling, 2 kilometres
- Albin Lermusiaux - athletics, 1,500 metres
[edit] Results by event
[edit] Athletics
France's six athletes won two medals in athletics.
| Event | Place | Athlete | Heat | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | – | Alphonse Grisel | Unknown | Did not advance |
| 400 metres | – | Alphonse Grisel | Unknown | Did not advance |
| Frantz Reichel | Unknown | |||
| 800 metres | – | Albin Lermusiaux | 2:16.6 | Did not start |
| – | Georges de la Nézière | Unknown | Did not advance | |
| 1500 metres | 3rd | Albin Lermusiaux | No heats | 4:37.0 |
| 110 metre hurdles | – | Frantz Reichel | Unknown | Did not start |
| Marathon | 9th | Sokratis Lagoudakis | No heats | Unknown |
| – | Albin Lermusaiux | Did not finish | ||
| Event | Place | Athlete | Best mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long jump | – | Alphonse Grisel | Unknown |
| Alexandre Tuffèri | Unknown | ||
| Triple jump | 2nd | Alexandre Tuffèri | 12.70 metres |
| Discus throw | – | Alphonse Grisel | Unknown |
[edit] Cycling
France dominated the cycling events, taking 4 of the 6 gold medals. Three were won by Paul Masson who won every event he entered, with Léon Flameng adding the fourth as well as a silver and a bronze. One of the two won each event that a Frenchman contested; the two gold medals won by other countries were in competitions that Masson and Flameng did not enter.
| Event | Place | Cyclist | Time/Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 333 metres | 1st | Paul Masson | 24.0 seconds |
| 5th | Léon Flameng | 27.0 seconds | |
| 2 kilometres | 1st | Paul Masson | 4:58.2 |
| 3rd | Léon Flameng | Unknown | |
| 10 kilometres | 1st | Paul Masson | 17:54.2 |
| 3rd | Léon Flameng | 17:54.2 | |
| 100 kilometres | 1st | Léon Flameng | 3:08:19.2 |
[edit] Fencing
The French fencers were held in high regard prior to the Games; Gravelotte and Callot validated those expectations in the amateur foil competition. Each went undefeated in their pool, advancing to face each other in the final. Gravelotte won the first-to-3 bout. Surprisingly, however, Perronet lost to the Greek Leonidas Pyrgos in the only match of the masters competition.
| Event | Place | Fencer | Record | Touches | Round-robin | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | For | Against | |||||
| Foil | 1st | Eugène-Henri Gravelotte | 4 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 1st Group B |
Won 3-2 |
| 2nd | Henri Callot | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 1st Group A |
Lost 3-2 |
|
| 5th | Henri Delaborde | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3rd Group A |
Did not advance |
|
| Masters foil | 2nd | Jean Perronet | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | None held | Lost 3-1 |
| Opponent nation | Wins | Losses | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 6 | 2 | .750 |
| Total international | 6 | 2 | .750 |
| France | 2 | 2 | .500 |
| Total | 8 | 4 | .667 |
[edit] Gymnastics
Grisel competed in the parallel bars in the gymnastics program. The competitions had no formal scoring, the judges merely selecting the winner and runner-up. Grisel was neither in his competition.
| Event | Place | Gymnast |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel bars | – | Alphonse Grisel |
[edit] Shooting
Lermusiaux entered the military rifle event in the shooting program. His score and placing are unknown.
| Event | Place | Shooter | Score | Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military rifle | – | Albin Lermusiaux | Unknown | |
[edit] Tennis
Only the last name of the French tennis player in 1896 is known. He was defeated in the first round of the singles tournament.
| Event | Place | Player(s) | Round 1 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singles | 8th | Defert | Lost | Did not advance | ||
| Opponent nation | Wins | Losses | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | .000 |
[edit] References
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; & Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at [1])
- Mallon, Bill; & Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at [2])
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.
| Nations at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece |
|---|
| Australia • Austria • Bulgaria • Chile • Denmark • France • Germany • Great Britain • Greece • Hungary • Italy • Sweden • Switzerland • United States • Mixed teams |
