Nicole Duclos (née Salavert; born 15 August 1947) is a French former

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who competed in the 400 metres. She broke the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for the event in 1969, running 51.77 seconds to become European champion in 1969. She also shared in a world record in the

4×400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

. She represented France at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

and was a three-time national champion.

Career

Born in

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is al ...

, she began training at the CA Brive sports club.Nicole Duclos
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-10-31. She competed for France in her teenage years as a junior athlete and came to prominence in her early twenties. She had her first 400 m national title at the French Athletics Championships in 1969 and her winning time of 52.8 seconds was a new championship record by a whole second.French Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-10-31. She was selected to run both individually and in the relay at the

1969 European Athletics Championships The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16–21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1500 metres and the women's 4×400 metres relay event. Moreover, ...

. In the 400 m final she edged compatriot

Colette Besson Colette Besson (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French athlete, the surprise winner of the 400 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Athletic career Prior to the 1968 Olympics, Besson, an unknown physical education teacher, qualifi ...

at the line by two hundredths to win the gold medal in a

time of 51.77 seconds.European Championships (Women)
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-10-31. This knocked two tenths off Shin Geum-Dan near-seven-year-old record. The time was the championship record for five years, after which it was broken by Finland's Riitta Salin, and remained the French record for the 400 m for much longer and was only improved upon in 1987 by Marie-José Pérec. Duclos broke another world record at the European Championships, teaming up with Bernadette Martin, Eliane Jacq and rival Besson in the

to run a time of 3:30.8 minutes. However, the team recorded the same time as Britain's women's team and despite sharing the world record, were only the silver medallists at the competition.European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 - STATISTICS HANDBOOK
European Athletics, pp. 405-412. Retrieved on 2015-10-31. For these feats she was chosen as that year's

L'Équipe Champion of Champions L'Équipe Champion of Champions (french: Champion des champions de L'Équipe) refers to four awards presented by the daily sports newspaper ''L'Équipe'', to female and male international sports athletes and female and male French sports athletes. ...

, becoming only the second female winner of the award after

Marielle Goitschel Marielle Goitschel (born 28 September 1945 in Sainte-Maxime) is a former French alpine skier. Marielle is the younger sister of Christine Goitschel, another champion skier of the time, and the aunt of speed skier Philippe Goitschel. After grea ...

. In spite of her success in 1969, she subsequently failed to win an individual medal internationally. The quality of competition greatly improved, with Marilyn Neufville of Jamaica improving the world record by seventh tenths of a second just ten months after Duclos's feat. Instead Duclos went on to be a medallist only with the national relay team. The 1970 European Athletics Indoor Championships saw her win gold in a novel medley relay event. At the

1971 European Athletics Championships The 10th (X) European Athletics Championships were held from 10 August to 15 August 1971 in the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Men's results ...

she helped the French women to the relay final, but the team failed to finish. Her last two international medals came in the short-lived 4×380 metres relay at the 1972 European Athletics Indoor Championships, 1972 and 1973 European Athletics Indoor Championships, where she was a bronze, then silver medallist. Duclos returned to the top of the national podium at the 1972 French Championships and gained selection for France at the 1972 Summer Olympics as a result. Her national title-winning time of 52.3 seconds was a championship record which stood until 1980, when Sophie Malbranque became the first under 52 seconds at the contest. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Munich Olympics Duclos was a semi-finalist in the 400 m and ranked fourth in the 4×400 m relay alongside Martine Duvivier, Besson and Martin. She won her third and final national title in the 400 m at the French Indoor Athletics Championships in 1973 (her last season in major competitions).French Indoor Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-10-31.

National titles

* French Athletics Championships **400 m: 1969, 1972 *French Indoor Athletics Championships **400 m: 1973

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duclos, Nicole Living people 1947 births People from Périgueux French female sprinters Olympic athletes for France Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics European Athletics Championships medalists World record setters in athletics (track and field) Sportspeople from Dordogne Olympic female sprinters

Career

National titles

International competitions

See also

References

External links