According to the French Athletics Federation President, Bernard Amsalem, Pierre Quinon has committed suicide.
Quinon was 49 years old.
Flying 5.82 meters, Quinon won Olympic gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Mike Tully, representing Team USA, won silver. Thierry Vigneron took the bronze.
Quinon retired in 1992.
A police investigation into the circumstances of Quinon's death is in process.
From Wikipedia (which already documents his suicide): Pierre Quinon (born February 20, 1962, died, August 17, 2011) Was a retired pole vaulter from France. He was born in Lyon. On August 28, 1983 he set a new world record with 5.82 metres. That day, after winning the contest, he became the first athlete to attempt to clear 6.00 metres in an official meet. Though he failed by a significant margin, "he didn't make a fool of himself," as his coach Jean-Claude Perrin said to the French media. Quinon's record was short-lived, however: on September 1, countryfellow Thierry Vigneron beat it by one centimetre.
In 1984, Quinon won the gold medal at the Olympic Games, with Vigneron placing third. Though both Frenchmen ranked among the favorites before the Games, Quinon's win was a minor surprise because Vigneron, usually the better performer, was expected to prevail. In 1985, Quinon finally improved his personal best to 5.90 metres, 10 centimetres behind the then-world record.
Pierre Quinon committed suicide on August 17, 2011.
Comments