Etienne Desmarteau
Encyclopedia
Competitor for 
Canada
Étienne Desmarteau (4 February 1873 - 29 October 1905 in Boucherville
, Quebec
, Canada
) was a Canadian
athlete, winner of the weight throwing event at the 1904 Summer Olympics
. For some time, it was thought that Desmarteau was the first Olympic
champion from Canada, but it was later discovered that 1900 champion George Orton
, who ran for an American university, was also Canadian.
The Boucherville
-born Desmarteau, member of the Montréal Athletic Club
was one of the top competitors in the 56 lb (25.4 kg) weight throwing event, which is no longer held. In 1902 he had won the American AAU
championships, beating John Flanagan. Flanagan broke the world record
in the event prior to the 1904 Olympics, making him one
of the favourites for the event along with Desmarteau.
To compete in the Olympics, Desmarteau, a police officer in Montréal
, had to ask for a leave of absence to go to St. Louis
, but he was denied by his employer. He decided to go anyway, which cost him his job. In St. Louis, his first throw was 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m), enough for victory over Flanagan, who didn't manage better than 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m).
He received a hero's welcome back in Montréal and was rehired as a police officer. The following year, he died of typhoid fever
. A district, a park and a sports arena in Montréal have been named after him; the Étienne Desmarteau Centre was used as a venue for basketball
during the 1976 Summer Olympics
. The District d'Étienne Desmarteau is part of the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
.
CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Étienne Desmarteau (4 February 1873 - 29 October 1905 in Boucherville
Boucherville, Quebec
Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
athlete, winner of the weight throwing event at the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
. For some time, it was thought that Desmarteau was the first Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
champion from Canada, but it was later discovered that 1900 champion George Orton
George Orton
George Washington Orton was a Canadian middle-distance runner. In 1900, he became the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal.-Biography:...
, who ran for an American university, was also Canadian.
The Boucherville
Boucherville, Quebec
Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
-born Desmarteau, member of the Montréal Athletic Club
Montreal AAA
Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was renamed as the Club Sportif MAA or just MAA in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known as the MAAA...
was one of the top competitors in the 56 lb (25.4 kg) weight throwing event, which is no longer held. In 1902 he had won the American AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
championships, beating John Flanagan. Flanagan broke the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
in the event prior to the 1904 Olympics, making him one
of the favourites for the event along with Desmarteau.
To compete in the Olympics, Desmarteau, a police officer in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, had to ask for a leave of absence to go to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, but he was denied by his employer. He decided to go anyway, which cost him his job. In St. Louis, his first throw was 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m), enough for victory over Flanagan, who didn't manage better than 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m).
He received a hero's welcome back in Montréal and was rehired as a police officer. The following year, he died of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. A district, a park and a sports arena in Montréal have been named after him; the Étienne Desmarteau Centre was used as a venue for basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
during the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. The District d'Étienne Desmarteau is part of the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie is a borough in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the centre-east of the city.-Geography:...
.
External links
- Leyshon, Glynn, "Étienne Desmarteau. Canada's First Olympic Gold Medallist", Journal of Olympic History, Volume 2, Number 1 (1994), p. 21-25.