William Hirigoyen
Encyclopedia
William Gayraud-Hirigoyen (1 May 1898 - 9 December 1962) was a French
athlete who competed in rugby union
in the late 1910s and early 1920s, then moved to bobsleigh
and skeleton
in the late 1940s.
In rugby, Hirigoyen played in the Five Nations Championship (Six Nations Championship
since 2000) in 1919-20, scoring one try
in the event. He played in the Hooker position during his career. Hirigoyen would later serve as a sports official in rugby during the 1920s.
Hirigoyen later competed in bobsleigh and skeleton from the mid 1920s to the late 1940s. He won a bronze medal in the four-man bobsleigh event at the 1947 FIBT World Championships
in St. Moritz
. The following year, he finished last among thirteen competitors in the men's skeleton event at the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz. At those same games, Hirigoyen also finished 12th in the two-man event.
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...
athlete who competed in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in the late 1910s and early 1920s, then moved to bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
in the late 1940s.
In rugby, Hirigoyen played in the Five Nations Championship (Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
since 2000) in 1919-20, scoring one try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the event. He played in the Hooker position during his career. Hirigoyen would later serve as a sports official in rugby during the 1920s.
Hirigoyen later competed in bobsleigh and skeleton from the mid 1920s to the late 1940s. He won a bronze medal in the four-man bobsleigh event at the 1947 FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships 1947
The FIBT World Championships 1947 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record sixth time after hosting the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , and 1939...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
. The following year, he finished last among thirteen competitors in the men's skeleton event at the 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
in St. Moritz. At those same games, Hirigoyen also finished 12th in the two-man event.