François Xavier Edmond Marie Lesage (25 October 1885 – 3 August 1968) was a French

horse rider The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

who competed in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

and in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

. He was born in

Moret-sur-Loing Moret-sur-Loing (, literally ''Moret on Loing'') is a former commune in the Seine-et-Marne department located at the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is situated along the confluence of rivers Loing and Seine. Moret–Veneux- ...

and died in

Gisors Gisors () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Eure, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the ...

Biography

Xavier Lesage was Colonel in the

French Military The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

, also decorated with the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In 1924 he and his horse ''Plumard'' won the bronze medal in the individual

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

competition in the Olympics. - Youtube Eight years later he and his horse ''Taine'' won the gold medal in the individual dressage as well as in the team dressage. He was also the commander of the black squadron

Cadre Noir The Cadre Noir (; ) is a corps of , or instructors, at the French military riding academy École Nationale d'Équitation at Saumur in western France, founded in Versailles before transferring to Saumur in 1828. During the Second World War, the ...

of Saumur, which earned him the title "Grand Dieu".

References

External links

* * 1885 births 1968 deaths French dressage riders Olympic equestrians for France French male equestrians Equestrians at the 1924 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics 20th-century French sportsmen {{France-Olympic-medalist-stub