Machonet

One of the mysteries of the 1896 Games is the identity of the British competitor whose name is recorded variously as “Machonet” and “Mokchoinet”. No details of his life are known and even his name appears to be a mistranslation.

A corporal E. Machon represented the Guernsey Militia in the 1885 Kolapore Cup match at Wimbledon, the then home of the National Rifle Association (NRA). He appeared in the contest seven more times up to 1899 when it had relocated to its new home at Bisley. Machon, then a sergeant, was a reserve when Guernsey won the Cup for the only time (through 2024) in 1898. This is the nearest reference that could be found to the name Machonet and the sport of rifle shooting, for which he was entered at the Athens Olympics in 1896.