Gaston Joseph Clement Marie Salmon (5 March 1878 – 30 April 1918)[1] was a Belgian épée, foil, and sabre fencer.[2] He was Jewish.[3]

Gaston Salmon
Medal record
Men's Fencing
Representing  Belgium
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1912 Stockholm Team epée

Early and personal life edit

Salmon was born in Marcinelle, in the city of Charleroi, in Belgium, and was Jewish.[4][5][6] His parents were Emile Telesphore Joseph and his wife Antoinette Cecile Josephe Marie (nee Crispin).[1] He married Ferdinande Betsy Ermens, and lived in Etterbeek.[7][1] In World War I he enlisted in the Belgian Army on 14 May 1917.[1] He was killed in an air raid by a German plane at Veurne, Belgium, in April 1918 aged 40, and is buried in the Belgian Military Cemetery in Westvleteren.[7][1]

Olympic fencing career edit

Salmon represented Belgium at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, competing in three events, winning a gold medal in team épée.[3][8] He also competed in two individual events, but was eliminated in the first round of both the individual foil and individual sabre. The team included artist Jacques Ochs.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Gaston Joseph Clement Marie SALMON". www.wardeadregister.be. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Gaston Salmon". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b Taylor, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists. Sussex Academic Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-1-903900-87-1.
  4. ^ "La médaille d’or d’un Carolo en vente à Hollywood!" – Édition digitale de Mons[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-60280-013-7.
  6. ^ Martin Harry Greenberg (1979). The Jewish lists: physicists and generals, actors and writers, and hundreds of other lists of accomplished Jews. Schocken Books. ISBN 9780805237115.
  7. ^ a b "Un double héros – Je rêve à toi dans l'absolu de ton absence"
  8. ^ "Gaston Salmon Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

Further reading edit

External links edit