IOC code FRA 5 4 | Competitors 13 in 6 sports | |
 | ||
NOC French National Olympic and Sports Committee Website www.franceolympique.com (French) Medals
Ranked 4th Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
5
4
2
11 | ||
Thirteen athletes from France competed in six sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics. France won the fourth-most gold medals with 5 and the fourth-most total medals with 11. Cycling was the sport in which the French competitors had the most success, as they completely dominated the field. The French team had 27 entries in 18 events, winning 11 medals.
Contents
Athletics
The six French athletes won 2 medals between them.
Cycling
France dominated the cycling events, taking 4 of the 6 gold medals. Three were won by Paul Masson who won every event he entered, with Léon Flameng adding the fourth as well as a silver and a bronze. One of the two won each event that a Frenchman contested; the two gold medals won by other countries were in competitions that Masson and Flameng did not enter.
Fencing
The French fencers were held in high regard prior to the Games; Gravelotte and Callot validated those expectations in the amateur foil competition. Each went undefeated in their pool, advancing to face each other in the final. Gravelotte won the first-to-3 bout. Surprisingly, however, Perronet lost to the Greek Leonidas Pyrgos in the only match of the masters competition.
Gymnastics
Grisel competed in the parallel bars in the gymnastics program. The competitions had no formal scoring, the judges merely selecting the winner and runner-up. Grisel was neither in his competition.
Shooting
Lermusiaux entered the military rifle event in the shooting program. His score and placing are unknown.
Tennis
Only the last name of the French tennis player in 1896 is known. He was defeated in the first round of the singles tournament.