# Colette Besson

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French sprinter

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 Women's athletics Representing France Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City 400 m European Championships 1969 Athens 400 m 1969 Athens 4×400 m European Indoor Championships 1970 Vienna Medley relay 1973 Rotterdam 4×340 m 1970 Vienna 400 m 1972 Grenoble 4×360 m Mediterranean Games 1971 Izmir 400 m

**Colette Besson** (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French [athlete](/source/Athletics_(sport)), the surprise winner of the [400 m](/source/400_metres) at the [1968 Summer Olympics](/source/1968_Summer_Olympics) in [Mexico City](/source/Mexico_City).[1][2]

## 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](/source/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.[1]

The next year, Besson came close to winning another international title at the [European Championships](/source/1969_European_Athletics_Championships). In the 400 m final, she crossed the line almost level with her teammate [Nicole Duclos](/source/Nicole_Duclos), both in the [world record](/source/World_record) time of 51.7. However, Duclos was awarded the victory after examination of the [photo finish](/source/Photo_finish). 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](/source/1972_Summer_Olympics) in [Munich](/source/Munich), but was eliminated in the preliminaries, although she took fourth place in the relay. She retired from athletics in 1977.[2]

## Death

Besson died on 9 August 2005 of cancer, two years after being diagnosed with the disease.[1]

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Colette Besson](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Colette_Besson).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NYT_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NYT_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-NYT_1-2) ["Colette Besson, 59, French Track Star, Dies"](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/sports/othersports/14besson.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2011.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sr_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sr_2-1) ["Colette Besson – sports profile"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175004/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/colette-besson-1.html). sports-reference.com. Archived from [the original](https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/colette-besson-1.html) on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2011.

v t e Olympic champions in women's 400 metres 1964: Betty Cuthbert (AUS) 1968: Colette Besson (FRA) 1972: Monika Zehrt (GDR) 1976: Irena Szewińska (POL) 1980: Marita Koch (GDR) 1984: Valerie Brisco-Hooks (USA) 1988: Olha Bryzhina (URS) 1992: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1996: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 2000: Cathy Freeman (AUS) 2004: Tonique Williams-Darling (BAH) 2008: Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) 2012: Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) 2016: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 2020: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 2024: Marileidy Paulino (DOM)

v t e Mediterranean Games champions in women's 400 metres 1971: Colette Besson (FRA) 1975–1979: Jelica Pavličić (YUG) 1983: Raymonde Naigre (FRA) 1987: Nathalie Simon (FRA) 1991: Julia Merino (ESP) 1993: Elsa Devassoigne (FRA) 1997: Virna De Angeli (ITA) 2001: Marie-Louise Bévis (FRA) 2005: Dimitra Dova (GRE) 2009: Libania Grenot (ITA) 2013: Chiara Bazzoni (ITA) 2018: Eleni Artymata (CYP) 2022: Cátia Azevedo (POR)

v t e World best yearly performance in women's 400 metres 1968: Colette Besson (FRA) 1969: Nicole Duclos (FRA) 1970: Marilyn Neufville (JAM) 1971: Helga Seidler (GDR) 1972: Monika Zehrt (GDR) 1973: Mona-Lisa Pursiainen (FIN) 1974: Riitta Salin (FIN) 1975: Irena Szewińska (POL) 1976: Irena Szewińska (POL) 1977: Irena Szewińska (POL) 1978: Marita Koch (GDR) 1979: Marita Koch (GDR) 1980: Marita Koch (GDR) 1981: Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) 1982: Marita Koch (GDR) 1983: Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) 1984: Marita Koch (GDR) 1985: Marita Koch (GDR) 1986: Marita Koch (GDR) 1987: Olga Bryzgina (URS) 1988: Olga Bryzgina (URS) 1989: Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB) 1990: Grit Breuer (GER) 1991: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1992: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1993: Ma Yuqin (CHN) 1994: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1995: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1996: Marie-José Pérec (FRA) 1997: Cathy Freeman (AUS) 1998: Charity Opara (NGR) 1999: Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR) 2000: Cathy Freeman (AUS) 2001: Katharine Merry (GBR) 2002: Ana Guevara (MEX) 2003: Ana Guevara (MEX) 2004: Tonique Williams-Darling (BAH) 2005: Sanya Richards (USA) 2006: Sanya Richards (USA) 2007: Sanya Richards (USA) 2008: Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) 2009: Sanya Richards (USA) 2010: Debbie Dunn (USA) 2011: Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (RUS) 2012: Antonina Krivoshapka (RUS) 2013: Amantle Montsho (BOT) 2014: Francena McCorory (USA) 2015: Allyson Felix (USA) 2016: Shaunae Miller (BAH) 2017: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 2018: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 2019: Salwa Eid Naser (BHR) 2020: Beatrice Masilingi (NAM) 2021: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 2022: Marileidy Paulino (DOM) 2023: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) 2024: Marileidy Paulino (DOM)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National France BnF data People World Athletics Other IdRef

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