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Alain Mimoun

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Alain Mimoun
Mimoun in 2001
Personal information
Birth nameAli Mimoun Ould Kacha
NationalityFrench
Born(1921-01-01)1 January 1921
Telagh,Oran department,French Algeria,France
Died27 June 2013(2013-06-27)(aged 92)
Saint-Mandé,France
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
Sport
Sportlong-distance running
Event(s)5,000 metres,10,000 metres,marathonandcross-country running
Medal record
Men'sathletics
RepresentingFrance
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Marathon
Silver medal – second place 1948 London 10,000 m
Silver medal – second place 1952 Helsinki 5,000 m
Silver medal – second place 1952 Helsinki 10,000 m
International Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 1946 Ayr Team Race
Gold medal – first place 1947 Paris Team Race
Gold medal – first place 1949 Dublin Individual Race
Gold medal – first place 1949 Dublin Team Race
Gold medal – first place 1950 Brussels Team Race
Gold medal – first place 1952 Hamilton Individual Race
Gold medal – first place 1952 Hamilton Team Race
Gold medal – first place 1954 Birmingham Individual Race
Gold medal – first place 1956 Belfast Individual Race
Gold medal – first place 1956 Belfast Team Race
Silver medal – second place 1950 Brussels Individual Race
Silver medal – second place 1958 Cardiff Individual Race
European Athletics Championships
Silver medal – second place 1950 Brussels 5,000 m
Silver medal – second place 1950 Brussels 10,000 m
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1951 Alexandria 5,000 m
Gold medal – first place 1951 Alexandria 10,000 m
Gold medal – first place 1955 Barcelona 5,000 m
Gold medal – first place 1955 Barcelona 10,000 m

Alain Mimoun,bornAli Mimoun Ould Kacha(1 January 1921 – 27 June 2013), was a French[1][2][3][4]long-distance runnerwho competed intrack events,cross-country runningand themarathon.He was the1956 Olympic championin the marathon. He is the most bemedalled Frenchathleticssportsperson in history. In 1999, readers of the FrenchathleticsmagazineAthlétisme Magazinevoted him as the “FrenchAthleteof the 20th Century”.[5]

On the track Mimoun won three Olympic silver medals, finishing second behindEmil Zátopekin the10,000 metresfinal in 1948 and again second behind him in both the5,000 metresand 10,000 metres finals in 1952. He was also the silver medallist in both events behind Zátopek at the1950 European Athletics Championships.From 1949 to 1958, he won four individual gold medals and two individual silver medals at theInternational Cross Country Championships.He was a four-time gold medallist at theMediterranean Games,completing the 5,000 m/10,000 m double in both 1951 and 1955.

Born inAlgeria,[6][7][8]Mimoun fought military battles for France and theWestern AlliesduringWorld War II.He settled in metropolitan France shortly after leaving the French army. Overall, he represented France in four consecutive Olympic Gamesfrom 1948 to 1960. He competed internationally for France on 86 occasions. From 1947 to 1966, he won a total of 29 senior titles in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, marathon and cross-country events of the French national championships. Mimoun continued to run in his later life and set a number ofveteranage-category records.

Early life

[edit]

Alain Mimoun was born Ali Mimoun Ould Kacha in the arrondissement of Maïder in the town ofTelagh,Algeria,[6][7][8][9]into a very poor,Arab-Berberfamily. Ali was the oldest of seven children in the family and his parents werepeasants.His mother, Halima, alsowoveblanketsfor a living. He had always been a model pupil in primary school. When he was eleven, he finished his primary school education and obtained a certificate withmention bien.In view of his good academic results, his illiterate mother wanted him to become a primary school teacher. She applied for ascholarshipfor Ali after being told to do so by somecolonistswho had come to visit her. Ali was denied the scholarship—it was the only application rejected by the school—that could have enabled him to further his studies. He noted that sons of colonists with worse grades than he obtained their scholarships. When Ali learned of his scholarship rejection, he told his mother thatAlgeriawas not his country and that his country was on the other side of theMediterranean,even though he was againstcolonization.He said that as a teenager, he would dream that he was in front of maps and showFranceto his mother. Ali first worked as a mason, and then in ahardware shopwhen he was fourteen. He said that hardware shop owner was a Frenchman who came from France, was an admirable man who treated him like his son and with whom he would eat on the same table. Ali started to playassociation footballwhen he was twelve and practicecyclingwhen he was fifteen.[10][11][12]

World War II and early running career

[edit]

Mimoun enlisted in theFrench Armyin 1939 when he was about 18 years old.[13]In the same year, he was posted to the 19thinfantryregiment.[14]In September 1939, he was mobilised to the Franco-Belgian border. He spent nine months there in anticipation of the German offensive campaign – theBattle of Belgium.He engaged in combat at the Franco-Belgian border. After the fall of Belgium to the Germans in May 1940, his regiment retreated south into northern France, where he avoided being captured by the German army nearValenciennes.After France wasdefeated by the Germansin June 1940, Mimoun was posted toBourg-en-Bressein theFree ZoneofVichy France.When he was there, he discovered almost by accident a talent for long-distance running. He said that he joined in a race as he was passing a suburban track with some friends.[15][16]While he was in Bourg-en-Bresse, he would train regularly in a stadium next to the military barracks. One day, he competed in some local racing events without any preparations. He won his first running event, the 1,500-metreAindepartmentalchampionship, in front of 4,000 spectators. In that event, he beat the defending champion, thus ending his six-year reign as champion. He then finished a 5,000-meter race in under sixteen minutes. This prompted a local journalist to write, "A marathoner is born. He could become an Olympic champion." In 1942, Mimoun was posted to a regiment ofcombat engineersbased inBesançon.[11][17][18]Later that year, he was transferred toAlgeria,where he won numerous races on track and in cross country, including the 1942 North Africancross country runningchampionship title.[9][10]

Mimoun's running career was interrupted when he was called up to fight for theWestern Alliesin theTunisia Campaignand then in theItalian Campaign.In the Tunisia Campaign, he fought under the command of GeneralHenri Giraudagainst theAfrika Korps.In July 1943, he was sent to fight in the Italian Campaign, where he was a lance corporal in the 83rdcombat engineersbattalionof the Algerian 3rdinfantrydivisionof theFrench Expeditionary Corpscommanded byMarshalAlphonse Juin.On 28 January 1944, during theBattle of Monte Cassino,Mimoun was seriously injured byfragmentationin his left leg originating fromshellsfired by the Germans. American doctors working in the field hospital recommended its amputation. Determined not to lose his leg, he refused. Fortunately, a French surgeon there managed to successfully perform an operation and his left leg was saved. He was later sent to aNapleshospital forconvalescence.He recovered sufficiently to the extent that he could still engage in military combat in the last part of World War II.[11][18][19][20]In the summer of 1944, Lance Corporal Mimoun participated in theAllied invasion of Francefrom theMediterranean Sea.After that campaign, he was involved in the liberation of theJura Mountainsfrom the German troops. He spent the winter of 1944–1945 in theVosges Mountainsbefore taking part in theWestern Allied invasion of Germany.He spent about one year in Germany.[12][16]

After his stint in the army inEuropehad ended, Mimoun returned toAlgeriawhere he continued to participate in running events. He was demobilised in 1946 while he was inAlgiers.Upon leaving theFrench Armyafter seven years of service, he moved from Algeria toParis.There, he signed up with theRacing Club de France,a famoussports club,and began calling himself Alain.[21]The club arranged for him to work as awaiterin thecafé-barof its facilities, which were then located in theBois de Boulogne,and Mimoun would train in that park.[22]In October 2002 and March 2012, Mimoun spoke of his difficult return to civilian life, "I was a café waiter. I did not have enough to eat. I won four Olympic medals while I was living in a small, two-room apartment (in the19th arrondissement of Paris) without heating, shower and toilet. " [12][23]Mimoun caused a major surprise by finishing second in the 1946 French national championships 10,000-meter race, despite having lost a shoe during the race. He made his international debut the following year when he represented France in an athletics meeting againstCzechoslovakiainPrague.He established himself at national level in 1947 when he clinched his first French national championships titles, taking a track double in the5,000 metresand10,000 metresraces.[9][10]

Running career from 1948 onwards

[edit]

Before the 1956 Olympic Games

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Mimoun rose to international prominence at the1948 Summer Olympics.He was the runner-up in the 10,000 m final held at theWembley Stadiumon 31 July, behind theCzechoslovakrunnerEmil Zátopek.Zátopek was dominant and lapped all competitors bar Mimoun and bronze medallistBertil Albertsson.Mimoun finished 47.8 seconds and more than 300 meters behind Zátopek.[24]Mimoun also ran in the 5,000 m event of the 1948 Summer Olympics but did not progress to the final round.[25]The following year he won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m French national championships titles and won his first major race at theInternational Cross Country ChampionshipsinDublin,finishing ahead of compatriotRaphaël Pujazonin the individual event. He also led France to the team title.[26]

He claimed cross country and 10,000 m French national championships titles in 1950,[9]but on the international stage he was again second best to Zátopek, taking the silver medals in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the1950 European Athletics Championships.[21]At the 1950 International Cross Country Championships he was runner-up to Belgium'sLucien Theysin the individual race, but retained the team title with France.[26]He won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m gold medals at the1951 Mediterranean Gamesand swept the French national championships 5,000 m, 10,000 m and cross country titles in both 1951 and 1952.[9]

Mimoun topped the podium for the individual and team events at the International Cross Country Championships in March 1952.[26]The1952 Helsinki Olympicssaw by now a familiar sight: Zátopek claimed victory in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m races and Mimoun was the silver medallist in both. In the 10,000 m final Mimoun finished 15.8 seconds behind Zátopek, but 15.4 seconds ahead of the bronze medallistAleksandr Anufriyev.In the 5,000 m final, Mimoun,Herbert SchadeandChristopher Chatawaywere in the lead entering the final bend of the last lap, with Zátopek in fourth place. Zátopek then made his move, and he took the lead halfway through the final bend and never relinquished it. Zátopek finished the 5,000 m race 4.5m and 0.8 second ahead of Mimoun, with the latter improving his personal best by over 14 seconds.[27]His second-place finishes behind the Czechoslovak champion gave Mimoun the nickname "Zátopek's Shadow".[22]

Away from Zátopek, Mimoun continued to dominate the French scene and claimed a third individual title at the International Cross Country Championships in 1954,[9]although a foot injury left him unable to compete at the1954 European Athletics Championshipslater that year.[22]His 1955 was highlighted by the successful defence of his 5,000m and 10,000m track titles at both the1955 Mediterranean Gamesand the French national championships.[9]

On 10 Oct 1955 inAlgiers,Mimoun beat the French national record for theone hour runthat had been held byJean Bouinsince 6 July 1913. On that day, Mimoun ran a distance of 19 km 78 metres, compared to the 19 km 21 metres (which then became a new world record) ran by Bouin on 6 July 1913 inStockholm.[28]

Mimoun began 1956 in strong form, capturing the French national championships 5,000m, 10,000m and cross country titles, and winning what would be his fourth and final individual title at the International Cross Country Championships.[9]

1956 Olympic Games

[edit]

Mimoun faltered in his first event at the1956 Melbourne Olympics,managing only twelfth place in the 10,000 m final – 1 minute and 32.4 seconds behind Soviet winnerVladimir Kuts.[29]

Alain Mimoun with his award

Mimoun entered the Olympicmarathonrace that took place in sweltering heat – the temperature went up to 38 °C (100.4 °F) in the shade during the race – on Dec 1, 1956, with the defending championEmil Zátopekin the starting line-up. He was certain that day would be his lucky day. Frenchmen had won the Olympic marathon in 1900 (Michel Théato), and 28 years later in 1928 (Boughera El Ouafi). Now, 28 years had passed since the last French victory in 1928. One month ago, he had gone on apilgrimageto theBasilica of St. ThérèseinLisieux,France.The day before the marathon, Mimoun received a telegram from his wife, Germaine, back in France telling him of the birth of their first child, a daughter called Olympe.[19]Besides, Mimoun was wearing on his blue, French flag-bearing, running singlet what he considered to be the lucky number – number 13. The 1.70 m tall, 56 kg heavy Frenchman had never raced over the distance before but he excelled on his first attempt. The marathon started at 15:13 inside theMelbourne Cricket Ground.It had forty-six competitors representing twenty-three nations. The marathon had a false start, which was the first in Olympic history. The mustachioed Mimoun had a whitebandana,embroidered with his wife's initials, tied around the top of his head since the start of the race to protect himself from the sun's rays. A group of thirteen runners was leading the race after fifteen kilometers. At the twenty-kilometer mark, only five of them remained in that group. The AmericanJohn J. Kelleypatted Mimoun's back to urge him to take the lead together with him. The two of them then broke away from the leading group of runners, with Kelley briefly ahead of Mimoun. Mimoun surged forward in the uphill section of the course near the top of the hill, ran past Kelley and was solely in the lead before the halfway point of the marathon. By the 25-km mark he had opened a 50-second lead, and henceforth, no competitor came close to him again. In the last quarter of the race, Mimoun removed his white bandana from his head and threw it onto the road surface, because according to him, it "felt like a ton". 5 km from the finish line, he no longer took the cups of water on tables lining the course as he pulled further away from his fellow runners. Mimoun crossed the finish line in a time of 2:25:00, 1 minute and 32 seconds ahead of the runner-upFranjo Mihalić,in front of 110,000 spectators at theMelbourne Cricket Groundand before any other runner had entered the stadium. For the third time in a row, the Olympic marathon had been won by an athlete competing in his first marathon. It was the first time Mimoun had ever beaten Emil Zátopek in a running event. Mimoun had expected to see his great rival and close friend Zátopek finish second behind him. He waited at the finish line for the Czechoslovak runner to arrive. Zátopek, who had undergone hernia surgery six weeks earlier, crossed the finishing line in sixth place, four minutes and thirty-four seconds after Mimoun. Grabbing Zátopek's shoulder, Mimoun asked, "Emil, why don't you congratulate me? I am an Olympic champion. It was I who won." Zátopek, who was then a colonel in the Czechoslovak army, stood to attention, took off his white cap and saluted Mimoun. Zátopek then kissed and embraced Mimoun, saying, "You did great, Alain." In a later interview withSports Illustrated,Mimoun said, "For me, that was better than the medal". That was the last time Mimoun raced against Zátopek.[12][21][22][27] [30][31] [32]"When I entered the stadium's tunnel and came out onto the track, cheered by 100,000 spectators, I experienced the finest minutes of my life," Mimoun said later.[10]

On his return home from Melbourne, there was a crowd of 15,000 people, a hero's welcome and a red carpet awaiting Mimoun at Paris'Orly Airport.At the airport, he did not get a chance to walk on the red carpet as he was carried in triumph by the crowd. Thereafter, receptions were held in his honour for three months. The day after he arrived home from Melbourne, he returned to the regular job that he had been doing since 1946 – as a waiter in a café-bar at the Racing Club de France[12][33][34]

“I was sure Emil was there at my heels,” Mimoun toldSports Illustratedin 1972. “I was hoping he would be second. I was waiting for him. Then I thought, well, he would be third. It would be nice to stand on the podium with him again. But Emil came in sixth, oh, very tired. He seemed to be in a trance, staring straight ahead. He said nothing."[21]Mimoun later told a biographer, Pat Butcher, that he had been well-prepared for racing the Melbourne Olympics marathon. "I gorged myself on 40 km a day for two years, without telling a soul."[35] "He would train three times a day, running a daily total distance of 35 km. It was certainly not for the 10,000-meter race, even though he had told me that he would not contest the marathon," said Mimoun's wife, Germaine, during an interview in 2006 with AFP. Mimoun revealed that before leaving for Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics, he had done his final training in theCorrèzevillage ofBugeat,which resembled his native village in Algeria.[36]In an interview conducted in October 2002, Mimoun said, "When I announced that I was going to run the1956 Melbourne Olympicsmarathon,everyone told me that I was too old. The French, the foreigners and everyone were laughing except Zátopek. "[12]

Reflecting on the four Olympic medals that he had won, Mimoun remarked, "I compare my career to a castle: my London silver medal is the foundation; my two Helsinki silver medals are the walls; my gold medal in Melbourne is the roof."[37]

Upon hearing the news of the death of Emil Zátopek in November 2000, he stated, "I have not lost an opponent, I have lost a brother."[21]

After the 1956 Olympic Games

[edit]

Mimoun did not compete in 1957 but returned in 1958 with a runner-up finish behindStan Eldonin the individual race at the International Cross Country Championships and his first national marathon title.[38]He placed seventh in the 10,000-meter event at the1958 European Athletics Championships.In 1959 he came sixth in the individual race at the International Cross Country Championships,[38]and won national titles in the marathon and cross country. As he neared his forties, his athletic powers began to decline. Although he continued to compete, he did not win a national title on grass or the track after 1959.[9]Four further outings from 1960 to 1964 at the International Cross Country Championships saw finishes in the individual event ranging from 18th to 26th place.[38]

Mimoun made the French team for the1960 Summer OlympicsinRomeand placed 34th in the marathon. He won his final national championship title at the senior level – the marathon – in 1966, some twenty years after his debut. His career at the top of the national and international ranks finished at that point but he continued to be a presence as aveteranrunner.[22]At the age of 51, he completed a marathon in a time of 2:34:36.2.[27]He set French age-category records for the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, 20,000 m and theone hour run.[39]He won a total of more than 80 French national running championships titles, including those forveteranathletes, the last one while in his seventies. In the last years of his life, he continued tojogorracewalkalmost daily, up to 10–15 miles per day, on the roads and paths in the vicinity of his detached house inChampigny-sur-MarneinVal-de-Marnedepartment, at theBois de Vincennesand on the roads aroundBugeatinCorrèzedepartment.[12][40][41][42][43]

Later life and legacy

[edit]

After Mimoun arrived back home from the1956 Melbourne Olympics,he mooted the idea of creating a world-class sports training center in France. In order to take advantage of better training facilities, he had to train overseas, especially inSweden,for some of his running events. That was something that annoyed him and therefore he felt that it was necessary to build such a sports training center. Mimoun attempted to seek government funding to build it. After several failed attempts in previous years, he received a telephone call fromJacques Chiracto meet him in theHôtel Matignon.During that meeting in 1967, Chirac, who was then a senior civil servant working as Prime MinisterGeorges Pompidou's technical adviser, told Mimoun, "I have followed your entire (running) career and I like your idea of creating a (sports) training center inCorrèze."The following day, Mimoun was received by the Sports MinisterFrançois Missoffein his office and informed by him that government funding for the sports training center had been approved.[12]The sports training center – initially namedCentre national d'entraînement sportif– located in theCorrèzevillage ofBugeat,was later renamedEspace 1000 Sources.[44]Right after Mimoun's funeral in July 2013, the sports training center was rechristenedCentre sportif Alain Mimoun[45]

Mimoun worked as awaiterin acafé-barat theRacing Club de Franceand as aphysical educationinstructor in France after the end ofWorld War II.[8][21]

When Mimoun settled in metropolitan France after the end ofWorld War II,he first lived inParis.Then, he moved toChampigny-sur-Marne.He and his wife, Germaine, bought a second home inBugeatand he would go to live there each summer.[43][46]

In 1997, Mimoun protested in the strongest terms against the decision of the Comité national olympique et sportif français (CNOSF) to remove theGallic roosterfrom the jerseys of French athletes.[18]

For his successful running career and wartime military services, Mimoun received fourLegion of Honourawards during his lifetime from four differentpresidents of France:Chevalier (1956), Officier (1972), Commandeur (1999) and Grand Officier(2008).[9]He also received the Sporting Order of Merit (Ordre du Mérite sportif),Gloire du sport,and theNational Order of Merit.He is the first French person of North African origin to receive the Legion of Honour. [47]

Mimoun was chosen as the FrenchL'Équipe Champion of Championsin 1949 and again in 1956.[48]

In 1999, readers of the bimonthly, French athletics magazine Athlétisme voted him as the “French Athlete of the 20th Century”.[40]

On 25 Sep 2002 inArgenteuil,Mimoun inaugurated the 50th stadium bearing his name.[12]

In December 2012,L'Equipepresented him its firsttrophée de champion des champions de légende.[48]

At the time of Mimoun's death, more than a hundred and fifty stadia, schools and streets bore his name. More than 50 municipal athletics stadia in France were named Stade Alain Mimoun and more than a dozen streets in France were named after him.[22][23]

Family and personal life

[edit]

Mimoun's wife, Germaine, was born inTulle,capital of theCorrèzedépartement in theLimousinregion in central France.[36][46]She died in May 2013.[20]Their first child, a daughter named Olympe, was born on 30 November 1956, one day before Mimoun won the1956 OlympicsmarathoninMelbourne.They have another daughter, Pascale.[49]

Mimoun converted fromIslamtoRoman Catholicismin 1955.[50]Several months before the1956 OlympicsinMelbourne,he had deep doubts about his ability to participate in those Olympics. In desperation, he let himself be driven by anatheistfriend to theBasilica of St. ThérèseinLisieux.One month after hispilgrimagethere, he won the1956 Olympicsmarathon.Mimoun asserted that he owed that marathon win to SaintThérèse of Lisieux.After that victory, he became very attached to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. He would go to the Basilica of St. Thérèse in Lisieux every year on a pilgrimage, usually on 1 October – the feast day of the saint. Prior to his death, he had achapelconstructed in theBugeatcemeteryto serve as his final resting place.[11][51][52]

Honours

[edit]

Legion of Honour

Others

  • Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite.
  • Commandeur de l’Ordre du Mérite sportif.
  • Gloire du sport.
  • Champion des champions de L'Équipe (L'Équipe Champion of Champions) (1949 and 1956)
  • named French Athlete of the 20th Century in 1999
  • Trophée de champion des champions de légende (2012)

Death, tributes and funeral

[edit]

Alain Mimoun died at the age of 92 in the evening of 27 June 2013 at the Hôpital d'instruction des armées Bégin inSaint-Mandé,in the departement ofVal-de-Marnein theÎle-de-Franceregion. The cause of death was not disclosed.[53]

In a communiqué made public by theÉlysée PalaceFrench PresidentFrançois Hollandewrote that Alain Mimoun was "a magnificent Frenchman" and "left a deep mark on the history of French sport". "Throughout his life, Alain Mimoun, who was born inAlgeria,loved and served France. And he was very attached to his department ofCorrèze,"emphasized Hollande, who also has ties to the area.[8]

French Prime MinisterJean-Marc Ayraultemphasized Mimoun's “exceptional victory” at the1956 Olympicsmarathon and called him “a great servant of France who etched his name in the pantheon of French sport”. Ayrault concluded that “the death of Mimoun left France without one of her finest figures”.[54]

The French minister of sports,Valérie Fourneyron,hailed Mimoun as "one of the most endearing and loved figures of French sport". "All French people will remember him as the most medalled Frenchathleticssportsperson of all time, above all as a model of uprightness and kindness, "added Fourneyron.[55]

Michel Jazy,a French Olympic runner who shared a room with Mimoun for six weeks during the1956 Olympics,remembered seeing him show the intensity and professionalism in order to succeed at the Olympics. "Alain was a role model for me. He would wake me up at 5:30 in the morning to go and run, and in the evening he would force me to go to bed at 8:30. Even though we were at the Olympics Games, I could not go to the parties in the Olympic village!" Jazy told RTL radio on the day after Mimoun's death.[54]

The Comité national olympique et sportif français (CNOSF) described Mimoun as someone who "embodied selflessness and panache", "was devoted to the humanist values of sport" and "who would forever be among the sportspersons who had given French sport its finest hours". [56]

On 6 July 2013, a minute's silence in honour of Mimoun's memory was held in front of 50,000 spectators during the 2013 edition of theMeeting Areva– an annual track and field event – that took place at theStade de France.[57]

Mimoun was accorded a state funeral will military honors. It was held on Monday, 8 July 2013 at 10am local time, in the main courtyard of theHôtel national des InvalidesinParis.French PresidentFrançois Hollandepresided over the ceremony, during which he paid homage to Mimoun. Retired French athletes likeStéphane Diagana,Michel JazyandMarie-José Pérecattended the ceremony. In hiseulogy,Hollande said, "Today, it is all of France which is paying homage to Alain Mimoun, to the one who ran throughout his life on the tracks of stadiums in order to make theLa Marseillaiseresound, seeking glory for his country everywhere. "Hollande described Mimoun as" a courageous soldier, an exceptional sportsman and a fervent patriot "who was" loved by France "and stated," To Alain Mimoun, France was a choice, a passion, a pride and an ideal. "[58]

In the afternoon of 9 July 2013, Mimoun was buried in thecemeteryinBugeatafter a religious ceremony in the Bugeat church. Thefuneralwas attended by about sixty persons.[46]

Personal bests

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  • 5,000 metres– 14 min 7.58 sec (1952 Olympic Games 5,000 m final)
  • 10,000 metres– 29 min 13.4 sec (1956)
  • Marathon– 2 hr 21 min 25 sec (1958)
  • Information from Sports Reference profile.[59]

Competition record

[edit]

International (only the position in the final is indicated)

[edit]

Mimoun competed internationally for France on 86 occasions.[10]

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1948 Olympic Games London,United Kingdom 2nd 10,000 metres
1949 International Cross Country Championships Dublin,Ireland 1st Individual race
1950 International Cross Country Championships Brussels,Belgium 2nd Individual race
1950 European Championships Brussels,Belgium 2nd 5,000 metres
1950 European Championships Brussels,Belgium 2nd 10,000 metres
1951 Mediterranean Games Alexandria,Egypt 1st 5,000 metres
1951 Mediterranean Games Alexandria,Egypt 1st 10,000 metres
1952 International Cross Country Championships Hamilton,Scotland 1st Individual race
1952 Olympic Games Helsinki,Finland 2nd 5,000 metres
1952 Olympic Games Helsinki,Finland 2nd 10,000 metres
1954 International Cross Country Championships Birmingham,England 1st Individual race
1955 Mediterranean Games Barcelona,Spain 1st 5,000 metres
1955 Mediterranean Games Barcelona,Spain 1st 10,000 metres
1956 International Cross Country Championships Belfast,Northern Ireland 1st Individual race
1956 Olympic Games Melbourne,Australia 12th 10,000 metres
1956 Olympic Games Melbourne,Australia 1st Marathon
1958 International Cross Country Championships Cardiff,Wales 2nd Individual race
1958 European Championships Stockholm,Sweden 7th 10,000 metres
1959 International Cross Country Championships Lisbon,Portugal 6th Individual race
1960 International Cross Country Championships Hamilton,Scotland 18th Individual race
1960 Olympic Games Rome,Italy 34th Marathon
1961 International Cross Country Championships Nantes,France 24th Individual race
1962 International Cross Country Championships Sheffield,England 26th Individual race
1964 International Cross Country Championships Dublin,Ireland 18th Individual race
  • International Cross Country Championships team event champion (representing France) in 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1956.
  • North African Cross Country champion in 1942

National

[edit]

[9]

French Athletics Championships
  • 5,000 m:8 titles (1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956)
  • 10,000 m:9 titles (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956)
  • Marathon:6 titles (1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1966)[60]
French Cross Country Championships
  • 6 titles (1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1959)

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Alain Mimoun".olympic.org – Official website of the Olympic Movement.Retrieved14 February2015.
  2. ^"Alain Mimoun".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved14 February2015.
  3. ^Goldstein, Richard (30 June 2013)."Alain Mimoun, a Top Runner, Dies at 92".The New York Times.Retrieved14 February2015.
  4. ^Universalis, Encyclopædia (19 February 2002)."ALAIN MIMOUN".Encyclopædia Universalis.Retrieved23 November2021.
  5. ^"Adieu Mimoun".sports.fr. 28 June 2013.
  6. ^abDavid E. Martin (2000).The Olympic Marathon.Human Kinetics Publishers. p.222.ISBN978-0880119696.
  7. ^ab"Athlétisme: Alain Mimoun est mort".Le Monde(in French). 28 June 2013.Retrieved14 February2015.
  8. ^abcd"Alain Mimoun est mort".Libération and AFP. 28 June 2013.
  9. ^abcdefghijkAthlétisme – Alain Mimoun, décédé à 92 ans, en bref (ENCADRE).Le Matin. Retrieved on 2013-07-02.
  10. ^abcde"Disparition d'Alain Mimoun".Le Figaro. 28 June 2013.
  11. ^abcd"L'athlète Mimoun est mort: portrait d'un converti".famillechrétienne.fr. 7 July 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2013.Retrieved25 July2013.
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