Marie Léon Flameng (30 April 1877 – 2 January 1917) was a French

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

and a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

pilot. He competed at the

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, winning three medals including one gold.

Olympics

Flameng competed in four cycling track events at the

. On 8 April 1896, he competed in the 100 km race, which was 300 laps of the

Neo Phaliron Velodrome The Neo Phaliron Velodrome (New Phaleron) was a velodrome and sports arena in the Neo Faliro District of Piraeus, Greece, used for the cycling events at the Athens 1896 Summer Olympics.Quote from page 194/241: ''The bicycle match took place in the ...

. Of the nine starters, only two finished, with Flameng winning the gold medal 11 laps ahead of second place

Georgios Kolettis Georgios Koletis ( el, Γεώργιος Κολέτης) was a Greek cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning a silver medal. Career Koletis competed in the 10 and 100 kilometres races. He finished second in the 100 kil ...

from Greece. Two days later, he competed in three more events. He won a silver medal in the

10 km 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

race, finishing just behind fellow countryman

Paul Masson Paul Masson (1859 – October 22, 1940) was an early pioneer of California viticulture known for his brand of Californian sparkling wine. Biography Masson emigrated from the Burgundy region of France in 1878 (at the age of 19) to Californi ...

. He won the bronze medal in the sprint race, which was six laps around the Velodrome. He finished in joint fifth place in the

time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

Pilot

In 1898 he joined the

8th Infantry Division (France) The 8th Infantry Division () was a French Army formation during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. It was dissolved in 1993. World War I The 8th Infantry Division was a part of the 4th Army Corps at the start of the war. At various tim ...

to do his National Service. He then joined the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

in 1914 as an observer, before becoming a military pilot in 1916. On 21 June 1916, while on a mission on

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, his plane was hit, and, although he was hit in the head with a bullet and his crew killed, he still managed to get his plane back to base. After being hospitalised, he returned to his squadron and was promoted to sergeant before transferring to the Group of Training Division. On 12 January 1917, while trialing a new Sopwith biplane near Ève, Oise, there was a technical incident forcing the plane to crash to the ground killing Flameng.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flameng, Leon Olympic cyclists for France Cyclists at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen French male cyclists 1877 births 1917 deaths Olympic gold medalists for France Olympic silver medalists for France Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic medalists in cycling Cyclists from Paris Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics French World War I pilots French military personnel killed in World War I Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France

Olympics

Pilot

See also

References

External links