Alex Virot

Alex Virot
Personal information
Birth name Alexandre Virot
Nationality France
Born 1890
Died 14 July 1957(1957-07-14) (aged 66–67)
Ax-les-Thermes, Ariège, France
Occupation Sports journalist
Medal record
Representing  France
Painting
Olympic Games
1928 Amsterdam Painting

Alexandre "Alex" Virot (1890 – 14 July 1957) was a French sports journalist. He won a silver medal in painting at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Virot died in a motorcycle accident whilst covering the 1957 Tour de France, making him the only journalist to have been killed whilst covering the Tour.

Career

In his youth, Virot was interested in sports and art courses, with a particular interest in Antoine Bourdelle.[1] Virot fought in the First World War in the trenches and as a trained pilot,[1] and also fought for the French Resistance during the Second World War.[2] Virot drew for the Miroir des Sports, and was asked by the newspaper to cover the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Whilst there, he was awarded the silver medal in the painting event.[1][3]

As a journalist, Virot reported on 22 editions of the Tour de France. In 1932, Virot broadcast a summit finish at the Col d'Aubisque, the first live radio broadcast from a summit finish.[1][4] Virot also covered football, boxing, motorsports and skiing, as well as the first French national lottery draw in 1934.[1] During the 1930s, Virot also worked as a war reporter. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Virot interviewed Ethiopian King Haile Selassie, and he also provided a live report of the German annexation of Austria, in defiance of Nazi censorship of the event.[1]

Death

Virot died in a motorcycle accident whilst covering the 1957 Tour de France, making him the only journalist to have been killed whilst covering the Tour.[1] Virot was covering the Bastille Day stage from Barcelona, Spain, to Ax-les-Thermes. Riding on a motorcycle with his driver, René Wagner, Virot had been providing a time check to cyclist Marcel Queheille. His motorcycle veered off the track and crashed in a ravine. Virot fractured his skull and died on his way to hospital, and Wagner also succumbed to his injuries.[1][2][5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lowe, Alex (2017). "THE REMARKABLE TALE OF ALEX VIROT, THE TRAGIC TINTIN OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE". Eurosport. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Book Review: Cycling Anthology Volume Six". Tour of Britain. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Art Competitions". Olympic Museum. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Christopher S. (April 2008). The Tour de France: A Cultural History. University of California Press. p. 43. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  5. ↑ Wheatcroft, Geoffrey (June 2013). Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
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