Olivier Noirot (born 26 August 1969, at Bordeaux) is a former French

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, who specialised in the

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

Career

Running for club ASPTT Bordeaux, Olivier Noirot is the son of middle-distance runner André Noirot and specialist in 400 meters Monique Wideman, both of whom were Champions of France several times in the 1950s and 1960s. In

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

Olivier won his first national title in the 400 m 46.29s and then won the title the following year over the same distance in the time of 46.04s. He made his debut on the international stage on the occasion of the 1990 European Championships at Split where he was eliminated in the semifinals of the individual competition, and placed seventh in the 4 × 400 relay with his French teammates. On 28 July 1991 Olivier Noirot set a new record for the French 400m race in 45.07s on the occasion of French Championships at Dijon, improving by two hundredths of a second the time of

Aldo Canti Aldo Canti (born 9 March 1961 in Montmorency, France) is a French and later Sammarinese former sprinter who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Competition record 1Representing Europe Personal bests Outdoor ...

which dated from 1984. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the 1993 World Championships, in which he participated in the heats of the 4 × 400 m relay. On 11 October 1993 Olivier Noirot was seriously injured in a traffic accident which occurred in the

Gauriaguet Gauriaguet () is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde department The following is a list of the 535 Communes of France, communes of the Gironde Departments of France, depar ...

near Bordeaux. His injuries included suffering a ruptured spleen. The driver, his father André Noirot, was killed instantly.Road accident Two people, including an athlete
L'Humanité, 12 October 1993

prize list

* France record in the 400m in 1991 with 45.07s (improved by

Marc Raquil Marc Raquil (born 2 April 1977 in Créteil) is a French runner of Martinique, Martiniquais origin who competes in the 400 metres and 4x400m relay. He won the 4x400m relay gold medal and the 400m silver medal at the 2003 World Championships in Athl ...

in 2001) * France champion in the 400m in 1989, 1990 and 1991. * Champion of France indoors 400m in 1990 and 1993.

notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noirot, Olivier French male sprinters 1969 births Living people Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Mediterranean Games