Robert Boutigny

Robert Boutigny was one of France’s top canoers of the immediate postwar era. He first came to international attention at the 1948 London Olympics, where he won bronze in the C-1 1000 event. The pinnacle of his career, however, arrived two years later, when he took silver in that event at the 1950 World Championships, behind Josef Holeček of Czechoslovakia, although he defeated Holeček to capture the C-1 10,000 title at those Worlds. He also represented France in the C-1 10,000 event at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and placed eighth, retiring from active competition shortly thereafter. In 2018, his achievements were commemorated with a plaque in the city of Saint-Raphaël.