Lucienne Velu


Lucienne Velu-CHAPILLON ''' was a French athlete and basketball player. She was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2011.

Biography

Athletics

She held the world record in the discus throw in September 1924 at Paris with a throw of 30.225 m, and she was 14 times champion of France for 7 national records. Her great rivals were two other Frenchwomen,, a double world record holder in the summer of 1924, with throws of 27.70 m and 28.325 m, and Yvonne Tembouret, who was the world record holder in September 1923 at Paris with a throw of 27.39 m. In the shot put Lucienne Velu was 8 times champion of France; her great rival was Violette Morris. She was also the holder of three national records for 10 years, and participated in the Olympic Games 1924, 1928 and 1936. She participated in the 1928 Olympic Games at Amsterdam, she placed fourth in the 4 x 100 metres relay.
Finally, selected 24 times from 1923 to 1939 for French national teams, she won 43 titles as champion of France, including 33 senior championships for 47 podium visits. The events she won championships at were 80, 100 and 200 meters, the discus, the shot put, relay she won championships with the team Linnets. She was also part of the group that introduced handball into France before the war.

Prize list

Later, Lucienne Velu was captain of the French basketball team which became the first women's team to be world champions in the history of French sport, beating United States 34–23 on 11 August 1934, at the 4th Women's World Games in London at White Hall. The winning team was Gilberte Flouret-Picot, Yvonne Santais, Lucienne Velu, Simone Richalot de Reims and Jeannine Garnier from Strasbourg. In 1930 during the 3rd World Games, Lucienne had already won the bronze medal in basketball.
Lucienne Velu's team, Linnet's Saint-Maur, was very popular in the newsreels, and was a team that dominated French basketball from 1928 to 1938,

Prize list

French team