 Flameng at Athens 1896 Summer Olympics | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing France | ||
| Men'strack cycling | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1896 Athens | 100 kilometres |
 | 1896 Athens | 10 kilometres |
 | 1896 Athens | 2 kilometres sprint |
Marie Léon Flameng (30 April 1877 – 12 January 1917) was a Frenchcyclist and aWorld War I pilot.[1] He competed at the1896 Summer Olympics inAthens, winning three medals including one gold.[2]
Flameng competed in four cycling track events at the1896 Summer Olympics. On 8 April 1896, he competed in the100 km race, which was 300 laps of theNeo Phaliron Velodrome. Of the nine starters, only two finished, with Flameng winning the gold medal 11 laps ahead of second placeGeorgios Kolettis from Greece.[3] Two days later, he competed in three more events. He won a silver medal in the10 km race, finishing just behind fellow countrymanPaul Masson.[4] He won the bronze medal in thesprint race, which was six laps around the Velodrome.[5] He finished in joint fifth place in thetime trial.[6]
In 1898 he joined the8th Infantry Division (France) to do his National Service. He then joined theFrench Air Force in 1914 as an observer, before becoming a military pilot in 1916.[7] On 21 June 1916, while on a mission onVerdun, 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 nearÈve, Oise, there was a technical incident forcing the plane to crash to the ground killing Flameng.[8]
