Alexandre François Étienne Jean Bouin (French: [bwɛ̃]; 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 1912, behind Hannes Kolehmainen.[2] His race against Kolehmainen has long been regarded as one of the most memorable moments in running. Kolehmainen and Bouin quickly pulled away from the others, with Bouin leading and Kolehmainen repeatedly trying to pass him. Kolehmainen succeeded only 20 metres from the finish, winning by 0.1 seconds. Both contenders broke the previous world record.[3][4]

Jean Bouin
Jean Bouin in 1911
Personal information
Born21 December 1888
Marseille, France
Died29 September 1914 (aged 25)
Xivray-et-Marvoisin, France
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event800-10,000 m
ClubUS Phocéenne, Marseille;
Paris Jean-Bouin, Paris
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 2:00.4 (1914)
1500 m – 4:14.4 (1911)
5000 m – 14:36.7 (1912)
10,000 m – 30:58.8 (1911)[1]
Medal record
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1912 Stockholm 5000 metres
International Cross Country Championships
Silver medal – second place 1909 Derby Individual
Gold medal – first place 1911 Caerleon Individual
Gold medal – first place 1912 Edinburgh Individual
Gold medal – first place 1913 Juvisy-sur-Orge Individual
Silver medal – second place 1913 Juvisy-sur-Orge Team

Bouin set three more world records: two in 1911, in the 3,000 m and 10,000 metres, and one in 1913, in the one-hour run (19,021 metres). The following year, he was killed in action during World War I.[2][5] After that the Stade Jean-Bouin in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, home of the Stade Français rugby union club, was named after him. The French government made a stamp with his picture on it and many games have been held in his honor. A 10 km race under the name of Jean Bouin has occurred every year through the streets of Barcelona since 1920.

Jean Bouin finishing behind Hannes Kolehmainen at the 1912 Olympics

References

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  1. ^ Jean Bouin. trackfield.brinkster.net
  2. ^ a b Jean Bouin Archived 22 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  3. ^ Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's 5,000 metres Archived 5 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  4. ^ "Jean Bouin". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2015.

Further reading

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  •   Media related to Jean Bouin at Wikimedia Commons
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Athletics 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
  • Godwin, Terry Complete Who's Who of International Rugby (Cassell, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1838-2)
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
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Records
Preceded by Men's 3,000 m World Record Holder
11 June 1911 – 24 September 1911
Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 10,000 m World Record Holder
16 November 1911 – 22 June 1921
Succeeded by
  NODES
Association 1
INTERN 2
Note 1