Roger Rochard (20 April 1913 – 24 February 1993) was a French

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He was the first French track and field athlete to become a European champion, winning the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

race at the

1934 European Athletics Championships The 1st European Athletics Championships were held in Turin, Italy, at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Stadio Benito Mussolini between 7 and 9 September 1934. A contemporaneous report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald. Results Medalists ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Career

As an 18-year-old, Rochard surprisingly won the 5000 m in the 1931 national dual meet between France and Britain, running 15:11.8. Later that summer, he also won in a dual meet against Germany, this time running 15:03.6. His best time that year was 15:01.6, which he ran in Paris on 25 October, but in that race he was defeated by Poland's

Janusz Kusociński Janusz Tadeusz Kusociński (15 January 1907 – 21 June 1940) was a Polish athlete, winner in the 10,000 meters event at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Warsaw into the family of a railroad worker, Janusz Kusociński, or ''Ku ...

, who went on to win Olympic gold at 10,000 metres. In 1932 Rochard broke 15 minutes for the first time, running 14:56.8; he was selected for the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he qualified for the final but did not finish it. In 1933 Rochard improved to 14:46.5 in a dual meet against Finland, only narrowly losing to Finland's Olympic medalist

Lasse Virtanen Lauri Johannes "Lasse" Virtanen (3 August 1904 – 8 February 1982) was a Finnish long-distance runner, winner of bronze medals in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los ...

. At the 1934 European Championships in

Rochard was up against Kusociński, Virtanen and Ilmari Salminen, but outkicked them all and won gold by a clear 4.4 second margin. His winning time, 14:36.8, was his personal best; he only missed out on the French record, set by

Jean Bouin Alexandre François Étienne Jean Bouin (; 21 December 1888 – 29 September 1914) was a French middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500m at the 1908 Olympics and the 5000m at the 1912 Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 5000m in 191 ...

in his duel against Hannes Kolehmainen at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

, by one-tenth of a second. Rochard was the first French athlete to win gold at the European Athletics Championships, and the only one to do so in the inaugural 1934 meet. Rochard returned to the Olympics in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

; he again took part in the

5000 m The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

, but was eliminated in the heats. He attempted to defend his European title at the 1938 Championships in Paris, but only placed eighth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochard, Roger 1913 births 1993 deaths Sportspeople from Évreux French male middle-distance runners French male long-distance runners Olympic athletes for France Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists 20th-century French people