Micheline Ostermeyer
Encyclopedia
Micheline Ostermeyer (December 23, 1922 – October 17, 2001) was a French
athlete and concert pianist
.
A great-niece of the French author Victor Hugo
, and a niece of the composer Lucien Paroche, Ostermeyer, who was Jewish, was born in Rang-du-Fliers
, Pas-de-Calais. At the insistence of her mother, she began learning piano at the age of 4, and at 14 she left her family's home in Tunisia
to attend the Conservatoire de Paris
. After the outbreak of World War II
, she moved back to Tunisia where she performed a weekly half-hour piano recital on Radio Tunis.
It was during her return stay in Tunisia that Ostermeyer began participating in sports, competing in basketball
and track and field
events. After the war, she continued her participation in athletics while resuming her education at the Conservatoire. She competed in a range of contests, eventually winning French titles at running, throwing and jumping events. In 1946, she placed second in the shot put
at the European Athletics Championship in Oslo
, as well as winning the Prix Premier at the Conservatoire.
The 1948 Summer Olympics
were Ostermeyer's finest hour as an athlete. She won gold medal
s in the shot put and discus throw
(despite having picked up a discus for the first time just a few weeks before the event), and a bronze medal
in the high jump
. Her performance was only overshadowed by that of Fanny Blankers-Koen
, who won four gold medals at the same Olympics. After winning the shot put, she concluded the day with an impromptu performance of a Beethoven concert at her team's headquarters.
She retired from sports in 1950 after having won two medals at that year's European Championships, and continued to pursue a career in music. Her athletic prowess damaged her reputation as a concert pianist, however, and she even avoided playing anything composed by Franz Liszt
for six years because she considered him too "sportif". She toured for fifteen years before personal commitments, including the death of her husband, led her to take a teaching job, a post she held until her retirement in the early 1980s. In her final years she emerged from retirement to give a series of concerts in both France and Switzerland before her death in Bois-Guillaume
.
A latter descendant continues in the athletic tradition. Samuel James Ostermeyer currently participates in numerous road events for Kirkstall Harriers, Leeds, England, and sits proudly at the top of their in-house championship standings.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
athlete and concert pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
A great-niece of the French author Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, and a niece of the composer Lucien Paroche, Ostermeyer, who was Jewish, was born in Rang-du-Fliers
Rang-du-Fliers
Rang-du-Fliers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Rang-du-Fliers is located on the Côte d'Opale , 4 miles from the beach and 5 miles southeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D917 road.-History:Rang-du-Fliers became a commune in 1870,...
, Pas-de-Calais. At the insistence of her mother, she began learning piano at the age of 4, and at 14 she left her family's home in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
to attend the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
. After the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she moved back to Tunisia where she performed a weekly half-hour piano recital on Radio Tunis.
It was during her return stay in Tunisia that Ostermeyer began participating in sports, competing in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events. After the war, she continued her participation in athletics while resuming her education at the Conservatoire. She competed in a range of contests, eventually winning French titles at running, throwing and jumping events. In 1946, she placed second in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
at the European Athletics Championship in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, as well as winning the Prix Premier at the Conservatoire.
The 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
were Ostermeyer's finest hour as an athlete. She won gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s in the shot put and discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
(despite having picked up a discus for the first time just a few weeks before the event), and a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. Her performance was only overshadowed by that of Fanny Blankers-Koen
Fanny Blankers-Koen
Francina "Fanny" Elsje Blankers-Koen was a Dutch athlete, best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She accomplished this as a 30 year old mother of two, during a time when many disregarded women's athletics...
, who won four gold medals at the same Olympics. After winning the shot put, she concluded the day with an impromptu performance of a Beethoven concert at her team's headquarters.
She retired from sports in 1950 after having won two medals at that year's European Championships, and continued to pursue a career in music. Her athletic prowess damaged her reputation as a concert pianist, however, and she even avoided playing anything composed by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
for six years because she considered him too "sportif". She toured for fifteen years before personal commitments, including the death of her husband, led her to take a teaching job, a post she held until her retirement in the early 1980s. In her final years she emerged from retirement to give a series of concerts in both France and Switzerland before her death in Bois-Guillaume
Bois-Guillaume
Bois-Guillaume is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:The town is a wealthy, residential hilltop suburb of Rouen, semi-rural, semi-suburban with a little farming and some light industry...
.
A latter descendant continues in the athletic tradition. Samuel James Ostermeyer currently participates in numerous road events for Kirkstall Harriers, Leeds, England, and sits proudly at the top of their in-house championship standings.
See also
- List of select Jewish track and field athletes
External links
- Official International Olympic Committee profile of Micheline Ostermeyer
- Micheline Ostermeyer obituary in The Guardian