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Colette Besson

Colette Besson in 1968
Personal information
Born	7 April 1946 Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, France
Died	9 August 2005 (aged 59) Angoulins, France
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	200 m, 400 m, 800 m
Club	Bordeaux EC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	200 m – 23.4 (1969) 400 m – 51.79 (1969) 800 m – 2:03.3 (1971)
Medal record Representing  France Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City 400 metres European Championships 1969 Athens 400 metres 1969 Athens 4 × 400 m relay Mediterranean Games 1971 Izmir 400 metres

Colette Besson (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French athlete, the surprise winner of the 400 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Athletic career

Prior to the 1968 Olympics, Besson, an unknown physical education teacher, qualified for the 400 m event. In the final, Britain's Lillian Board – the favourite for the gold – was way ahead of the rest of the field with just 100 m to go. With an amazing last sprint, Besson then moved up from fifth place to beat Board on the finish line by a tenth of a second. Her winning time of 52.03 seconds was 1.8 seconds better than her personal best.

The next year, Besson came close to winning another international title at the European Championships. In the 400 m final, she crossed the line almost level with her team mate Nicole Duclos, both in the world record time of 51.7. However, Duclos was awarded the victory after examination of the photo finish. Besson and Duclos also set a new world record in the 4 × 400 m women's relay in the same championships. In the 4 × 400 m relay final, Besson, who was anchoring the French team, passed the finish line at the same moment as Lillian Board. Again, photo finish evidence determined Besson had come second.

After 1969, Besson would not win any more international medals. She qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, but was eliminated in the preliminaries, although she took fourth place in the relay. She retired from athletics in 1977.

Personal life

Besson died on 9 August 2005 of cancer, two years after being diagnosed with the disease. She is survived by her husband Jean-Pierre Muller and their two daughters, Sandrine and Stéphanie.

References

1. ^ "Colette Besson, 59, French Track Star, Dies". The New York Times. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
2. ^ "Colette Besson – sports profile". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 18 January 2011.

• 1946 births
• 2005 deaths
• Sportspeople from Charente-Maritime
• French female sprinters
• Olympic athletes of France
• Olympic gold medalists for France
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Deaths from cancer in France
• European Athletics Championships medalists
• Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France
• Competitors at the 1971 Mediterranean Games