Jules Ladoumègue
Jules Ladoumègue in 1928
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
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| Born | 10 December 1906 Bordeau, France |
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| Died | 2 March 1973 (aged 66) Paris, France |
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| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) | |||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||
| Event(s) | 800-5000 m | |||||||||
| Club | Stade français, Paris | |||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 800 m - 1:52.0 (1928) 1500 m - 3:49.2 (1930) Mile - 4:09.2 (1931) 5000 m - 15:03.2 (1928) |
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Medal record
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Jules Ladoumègue (10 December 1906 – 2 March 1973) was a French middle-distance runner. He became a running star as the sport enjoyed a huge resurgence at the start of the Great Depression, fueled in large part by newsreel coverage. His career was abruptly cut short when he was banned for life from track for payments he received for several races.
Ladoumègue was born at La Bastide, Bordeaux. He made his first impression in the track world by finishing third in the 1926 French 5000 m championship while still a teenager. Later that year, he improved his 5000 m time with a 15:11 3/5 run against Great Britain, finishing the year ranked 20th in the event.
Despite his success, Ladoumègue was discouraged by a French track expert who said his long strides were not suited for long distances, so he moved down to the 1500 m in 1927. However, he did not find much success that year, running a best of only 4:03.6 and finishing sixth in the French championships.
In 1928, he started to run for Stade Français under famed coach Charles Poulenard, and his improvement was dramatic. On 3 June, Ladoumègue ran 3:58.0, then 3:55.2 a week later. Two weeks after that, he ran 15:03.2 over 5000 m. Then, on 1 July, won the Paris championships in 3:54.6, followed by a victory in the French championships in 3:52.2. The latter time ranked Ladoumègue as third-fastest all-time over the distance and a favourite at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
The Olympic 1500 m final was held on 2 August. In the end, the battle came down to a race between Ladoumègue and two Finnish runners: Eino Purje and Harri Larva. Larva and Purje exchanged leads early on, with Ladoumègue in the pack behind. After 800 m, Ladoumègue chased down the leading Finns and on the backstretch of the final lap, took the lead from Purje. As Purje faded, Larva pursued Ladoumègue. Into the homestrech, Larva pulled even, but Ladoumègue held his ground. Then, with 20 meters remaining, Larva pulled ahead. Ladoumègue, seeing it was hopeless, eased up and finished second.
Stung by criticism that he lacked the kick to win close races after his Olympic disappointment, Ladoumègue sought to prove the experts wrong. Accordingly, he ran in several races in 1929 where he allowed the pace to slow, waiting for the homestretch to drive for the finish. But when he tried that strategy against Cyril Ellis on 28 July at Colombes, France, Ellis defeated him 4:04 to 4:04.2. Ladoumègue suffered the same result a week later in Berlin against his Olympic rival Larva.
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