Jean Bouin

Alexandre François Etienne Jean Bouin known as Jean Bouin (Marseilles, December 20th 1888 - September 29th 1914 with Xivray in the Meuse) was a long-distance runner French. Wire of Louis Michel Bouin (trading) and of Berthe Emir Pioch.

This jovial fellow, of small size (1,67 m, for 70 kg) to the powerful chest, journalist (in particular with the Small Of Provence ), gains four consecutive titles of champion of France of cross-country race under the colors of the Phocée Club of Marseilles (1909) then C.A.S.G. Paris (1910, 1911 and 1912) and gains three times the Cross of the Nations in Derby (1911 with 1913) putting fine at a long domination British long-distance runners. It improves, in 1911, the record of France of the {{Formatnum: 10000}} meters (30 ' 58" 4/5) (championship of France to the key, and world records!), and that of the {{Formatnum: 5000}} meters (14 ' 36" 8/10) in 1912, with the championship of France also. In 1912, it beats also the world records of the 3 miles (4837 m), little before the Olympic Games.

Already selected for the Olympic Games of London in 1908, Jean Bouin is not finally authorized to contribute! It “made the wall” the day before the {{Formatnum: 5000}} meters Olympic, and by disciplinary measure, the French delegation does not authorize it to run, because it was mingled with a brawl in a bar with Soho and spent the night to the police station. Jean Bouin is on the other hand present on the track at the time of the Olympic Games of Stockholm in 1912. This race of the {{Formatnum: 5000}} meters remains “the” great race of this Olympiad (in series, it beats already the world records of the distance). With 400 meters of the arrival, Jean Bouin who carried out all the race accelerates and tries to release one of the two brothers Finnish Kolehmainen, Hannes Kolehmainen, but this one caps it on the wire for 2/10 (14 ' 36" 6/10) at the end of a last turn of anthology.

It beats the world records of hour (19,219 km) the July 6th 1913 with Stockholm, one year after the OJ in this same country, vis-a-vis thirty other competitors whose Olympic champion Hannes Kolehmainen (at the time of the same French round, it also beats three runners taking turns on {{Formatnum: 10000}} meters!). This record forecasts of a glowing future for Jean Bouin, who wants to have his revenge on Hannes Kolehmainen at the time of next the Olympic Games. It stops smoking and is devoted to an intensive drive. The Great War puts a term at the dreams of Olympic title for Jean Bouin.

He dies in the field of honor the September 29th 1914 as soldier of the 163eme regiment of infantry at the time of the attack of the “Dry Mount”, not far from Saint-Mihel. The circumstances of the death of Jean Bouin are badly known. Some describe a glorious death by charging the enemy lines with the cry with “Sharp France! ”, others evoke an error of shooting of French artillery. It is buried with the castle of Bouconville-on-Madt under enemy fire. A few days later, the castle burns.

Its world records of the {{Formatnum: 5000}} meters is equalized in 1934 by Roger Rochard, then beaten in 1948 (Jacques Vernier), while its world records on {{Formatnum: 10000}} meters fall in 1942 (Lalanne). Its other world records of the hour are beaten by Paavo Nurmi in 1928, and it is necessary to await Alain Mimoun in 1954 to see a French runner exceeding the mark posed by Jean Bouin. On the whole, Bouin beat five world records and twenty two records of France of athletics.

Jean Bouin was one of the most important high-speed motorboats of the French sport before the Great War. Its death with the field of honor is worth to him not to be forgotten between the two Wars and many sporting enclosures is then baptized name of “Stage Jean Bouin”. It is, logically, the case of the Stade Jean-Bouin of the C.A.S.G. Paris from which he was member, but one can also quote the Stade Jean Bouin of Angers, or the platform covered of the Stade Cycle-racing track of Marseilles, and one of the side platforms of the Stade of Gerland of Lyon, among many others.

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