Name Michel Theato Role Olympic athlete | Died 1919, Paris, France | |
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Olympic medals Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men\'s marathon | ||
Michel Johann Théato (22 March 1878 – 1919) was a Luxembourgian long-distance runner, and the winner of the marathon at the 1900 Olympics in Paris for France. He was born in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and died in Paris, France
Little is known about Théato, who did not work as a baker's delivery boy in Paris, as often said, but was a cabinet-maker and member of the St-Mandé athletic club. He won the race, then measured at 40,260 m and held under very hot circumstances, in just under three hours. However, his victory was not undisputed, as several opponents, notably American runner Arthur Newton, claimed that Théato had taken shortcuts, helped by his knowledge of the Parisian streets through his alleged occupation. These assertions have been disproven by Olympic historians including André Drevin and Raymond Pointu (Les Marathons Olympiques, Calmann-Lévy 2003).
For a long while, it was assumed that Théato was French, and only in the late 20th century it was discovered (by Alain Bouillé) that he was a native of Luxembourg. Although he was the first Olympic medallist (and one of only two, along with Josy Barthel, ever) born in the country, the International Olympic Committee credits his medal to France.