View source for Colette Besson

{{short description|French sprinter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Colette Besson
| image          =Colette Besson 1968.jpg
| imagesize      = 
| caption        = Colette Besson in 1968
|birth_date= 7 April 1946
|birth_place=[[Saint-Georges-de-Didonne]], France 
| death_date =  9 August 2005 (aged 59)
| death_place = [[Angoulins]], France
| height = {{convert|1.69|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|58|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|sport=Athletics
|event=200 m, 400 m, 800 m
|club= Bordeaux EC
|pb=200 m – 23.4 (1969)<br> 400 m – 51.79 (1969)<br> 800 m – 2:03.3 (1971)
|alma_mater=
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCountry | {{flagu|France}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold| [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico City]]|[[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1969 European Championships in Athletics|1969 Athens]]|[[1969 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1969 European Championships in Athletics|1969 Athens]]|[[1969 European Athletics Championships – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Mediterranean Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1971 Mediterranean Games|1971 Izmir]]|400 metres}}
}}
'''Colette Besson''' (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French [[athletics (sport)|athlete]], the surprise winner of the [[400 metres|400 m]] at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]] in [[Mexico City]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/sports/othersports/14besson.html|title=Colette Besson, 59, French Track Star, Dies|date=14 August 2005|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref><ref name=sr>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/colette-besson-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175004/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/colette-besson-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|title=Colette Besson – sports profile|publisher=sports-reference.com|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref>

==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]] – 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.<ref name="NYT"/>

The next year, Besson came close to winning another international title at the [[1969 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]. In the 400 m final, she crossed the line almost level with her teammate [[Nicole Duclos]], both in the [[world record]] time of 51.7. However, Duclos was awarded the victory after examination of the [[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]] in [[Munich]], but was eliminated in the preliminaries, although she took fourth place in the relay. She retired from athletics in 1977.<ref name=sr/>

==Death==
Besson died on 9 August 2005 of cancer, two years after being diagnosed with the disease.<ref name="NYT"/>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Women}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 400m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 400m Women}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Besson, Colette}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Charente-Maritime]]
[[Category:Athletes from Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
[[Category:French women sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for France]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for France]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in France]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Mediterranean Games]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:20th-century French sportswomen]]
[[Category:Olympic women sprinters]]
[[Category:French Athletics Championships winners]]