Lucien MICHARD

Quickly rising through the ranks as an amateur, Lucien Michard won the world sprint title in 1923 and 1924, concluding his amateur career with the 1924 Olympic title. Turning to the pros, Michard became the next great professional sprinter after Piet Moeskops. From 1927 to 1930, Lucien Michard won the world sprint title. In 1931, he again crossed the line first, beating Denmark’s Willy Falck Hansen, the 1928 Olympic champion. But the judge had erroneously announced Hansen to be the winner, and the rules didn’t allow for announced results to be changed, which cost Michard his fifth world title. He would not win another title, as the reign of Jef Scherens would start the next year, and Michard lost the final to him in 1932 and 1933.