Léon Moreaux
Encyclopedia
Léon Moreaux (10 March 1852 – 11 November 1921) was a French
sports shooter
and Olympian
who competed in pistol
and rifle
shooting in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Having taken up the sport of shooting earlier in the 19th century, at the age of 38 he prepared himself for competition in the 1900 Olympic Games
, which were held in Paris
in his home country. He participated in shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics
and won the silver medal
in the 25 metre firearm and in the Military Revolver Teams 50m for France and won another silver medal. He also competed in a number of other shooting competitions including the Free Rifle standing and kneeling competitions, where he finished 17th place in each, and in the Free Rifle (prone) competition where he narrowly missed the bronze medal
, finishing fourth. He also competed in the Free Pistol event where he finished in 7th place, and in the trap shooting
competition where he finished 16th place out of 31.
1906 was Moreaux's most successful year in sport shooting. In shooting at the 1906 Summer Olympics
he entered in ten different categories, winning a total of five Olympic medals including his first gold medal
s. He won two gold medals in the 20m duelling pistol and in the 200 metre army rifle, a silver medal in the 25 metres firearm, and two bronze medals in the Free Rifle Free Position and the Free Rifle Team. Moreaux competed in the Military Rifle event and finished fourth, in the Military revolver event and finished fifth, and in the Duelling Pistol (au commandment), finishing in sixth place. He also competed in the Military revolver (gras) event but finished in 16th place and in the Free Pistol (50m) event, finishing in 19th position.
Moreaux entered the 1908 Olympic Games
at the age of 46 and competed in the Free Team Rifle competition for France, but narrowly missed bronze, finishing in fourth position. At this point in his career, only four years away from age 50, he only competed in two other events – in the Free Pistol, finishing 17th, and in the Free Rifle Combined event, where he finished in 39th place.
After the 1908 Olympics, Moreaux retired from professional competition. He won 8 Olympic medals during his shooting career, second to only Switzerland
's Konrad Stäheli
(9) among his contemporaries and still among the top ten in Olympic shooting history.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sports shooter
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
and Olympian
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
who competed in pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
shooting in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Having taken up the sport of shooting earlier in the 19th century, at the age of 38 he prepared himself for competition in the 1900 Olympic Games
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
, which were held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in his home country. He participated in shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, 9 shooting events were included. Many other shooting events were featured in Paris at about the same time, but only 9 events are considered Olympic by the International Olympic Committee...
and won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the 25 metre firearm and in the Military Revolver Teams 50m for France and won another silver medal. He also competed in a number of other shooting competitions including the Free Rifle standing and kneeling competitions, where he finished 17th place in each, and in the Free Rifle (prone) competition where he narrowly missed the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
, finishing fourth. He also competed in the Free Pistol event where he finished in 7th place, and in the trap shooting
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
competition where he finished 16th place out of 31.
1906 was Moreaux's most successful year in sport shooting. In shooting at the 1906 Summer Olympics
Shooting at the 1906 Summer Olympics
At the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, sixteen events in shooting were contested. Now called the Intercalated Games, the 1906 Games are no longer considered as an official Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee.-Medal summary:...
he entered in ten different categories, winning a total of five Olympic medals including his first gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s. He won two gold medals in the 20m duelling pistol and in the 200 metre army rifle, a silver medal in the 25 metres firearm, and two bronze medals in the Free Rifle Free Position and the Free Rifle Team. Moreaux competed in the Military Rifle event and finished fourth, in the Military revolver event and finished fifth, and in the Duelling Pistol (au commandment), finishing in sixth place. He also competed in the Military revolver (gras) event but finished in 16th place and in the Free Pistol (50m) event, finishing in 19th position.
Moreaux entered the 1908 Olympic Games
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
at the age of 46 and competed in the Free Team Rifle competition for France, but narrowly missed bronze, finishing in fourth position. At this point in his career, only four years away from age 50, he only competed in two other events – in the Free Pistol, finishing 17th, and in the Free Rifle Combined event, where he finished in 39th place.
After the 1908 Olympics, Moreaux retired from professional competition. He won 8 Olympic medals during his shooting career, second to only Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's Konrad Stäheli
Konrad Stäheli
Konrad Stäheli was a Swiss sports shooter who competed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He participated in shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and won three gold medals – in the Military Pistol team and the Military Rifle team, and in the Military Rifle individual...
(9) among his contemporaries and still among the top ten in Olympic shooting history.