The name of Michel Macquet is more famous in Crotoy than in Amiens. However, it was in the former regional capital that the young Michel Macquet had started in handball and that he had especially been spotted to be destined for the throwing of the javelin.
Le Crotoy was the town in which his grandfather, a fisherman, had lived. And this is where the greatest French javelin thrower wanted to end his life. When he died, at only 70 years old, on October 27, 2002, a moving tribute was paid to this exceptional champion. On June 5, 2004, his former teammates, illustrious champions of the 1960s, Alain Mimoun and Michel Bernard in particular, had made the trip to pay a new tribute to this exceptional athlete.
The municipality of Crotoy honored the memory of Michel Macquet by installing a wrought iron silhouette at the entrance to the sports complex of the municipality. The javelin had indeed become the true specialty of this Samarian handball player at the start, spotted by the former Amiens javelin international Pierre Sprecher.
In 1954, Michel Macquet broke his first French record with a throw of 64m. But in 1956, he struck a blow, sending the javelin to… 79,01 mwhich made him a rival of the Finnish contingent which, at that time, had a stranglehold on the discipline.
Michel Macquet qualified for the Melbourne Games in 1956 and took an honorable 7e place. Le Picard was also present at the Rome Games in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964 but each time, he does not did not qualify for the finals.
An alley in his name in Amiens
The reason is simple: he was not at his best in the morning during qualifying. However, while he admitted that he had no excuse, it is true that he did not like morning qualifying and in Tokyo the cold and the rain had disrupted the event.
Finally, what stands out, in addition to his three Olympic selections, is the fact that Michel Macquet was the flag bearer of the French delegation for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games in 1964, his last, at the age of 32.
To date, he is the only Samarian and even Picard athlete to have experienced this happiness. After his sports career, Michel Macquet was director of sports at Marignane before retiring to Le Crotoy. In Marignane, a stadium bears his name while Amiens gave him drivewayin the new district of Renancourt, a stone’s throw from the Licorne stadium.
lionel herbet
Photo credit: DR
2023-05-04 01:02:42
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