Frantz Reichel facts for kids
Frantz Reichel in 1928
|
||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 16 March 1871 Paris, France |
|||||||||||||
| Died | 24 March 1932 (aged 61) Paris, France |
|||||||||||||
| Height | 169 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rugby, sprint running | |||||||||||||
| Club | Racing Club de France, Paris | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
François Étienne "Frantz" Reichel (born March 16, 1871 – died March 24, 1932) was a very active French person. He was an athlete, a journalist, and helped run many sports organizations. He even competed in two Olympic Games! In 1896, he ran in the Olympics in Athens. In 1900, he played rugby union in the Paris Olympics. He also helped start the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and was its first president.
Contents
Early Life and Athletic Achievements
Frantz Reichel's father was also involved in sports. He was a treasurer for a big French sports group called the USFSA. This group helped start the modern Olympic Games in 1894.
Talented Runner
Frantz Reichel was a very good runner. He won several French championships:
- 110 meter hurdles (in 1891)
- Cross country running (in 1890 and 1891)
- 1 kilometer walking
In 1892, he set a French national record. He ran 16.611 kilometers in just one hour!
Olympic Games in Athens (1896)
Frantz Reichel went to the first modern Olympic Games. These games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
- He tried to reach the final in the 400 meter race, but he didn't make it.
- He also ran in the 110 meter hurdles. It's not clear if he finished second or third in his first race.
- He didn't run in the hurdles final. Instead, he helped another athlete, Albin Lermusiaux, during the marathon race.
- Besides competing, Reichel also worked as a journalist at these Games. He wrote for a French magazine called Vélo.
Olympic Gold in Rugby (1900)
At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, Frantz Reichel tried a different sport. He played rugby union for the French team.
- His team won the gold medal!
- Later, in 1906, he was chosen to be the captain of the French rugby team for an international match.
- Frantz Reichel was a very respected rugby player in France. After he passed away, a special championship for young rugby players was created in his honor. It's called the Championnat Reichel.
Sports Administration and Journalism
After his time as an athlete, Frantz Reichel became a very important person in sports. He helped organize and lead many sports groups.
Leading Sports Organizations
- He became the secretary general of the USFSA, the same big French sports group his father was involved with.
- He also helped start the French Boxing Federation.
- He founded the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH), which is the international hockey federation. He was its president from 1926 to 1932.
- He was a member of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee.
- He was in charge of the committee that organized the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
A Pioneer in Sports Journalism
Frantz Reichel continued to work as a journalist throughout his life.
- He became the first European journalist to fly in an airplane! He flew with Wilbur Wright, who was one of the inventors of the airplane. Reichel helped Wright set a distance record for flights with a passenger.
- He also helped create the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (International Sports Press Association). He was its first president from 1924 until he died in 1932.
