Jean Bouin
Alexandre François Étienne Jean Bouin was a French middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500–5000 m events at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics and won a silver medal in the 5000 m in 1912, behind Hannes Kolehmainen. His race against Kolehmainen has long been regarded as one of the most memorable moments in running. Kolehmainen and Bouin quickly pulled away from the others, with Bouin leading and Kolehmainen repeatedly trying to pass him. Kolehmainen succeeded only 20 metres from the finish, winning by 0.1 seconds. Both contenders broke the world record.
Bouin set three more world records: two in 1911, in the 3,000 m and 10,000 metres, and one in 1913, in the one-hour run. The next year, he was killed in action during World War I. After that the Stade Jean-Bouin in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, home of the Stade Français rugby union club, was named after him. The French government made a stamp
with his picture on it and many games have been held in his honor. A 10 km race under the name of Jean Bouin has taken place every year through the streets of Barcelona since 1920.
