Fernand Sanz

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Fernand Sanz Road cycling
Fernand Sanz arrives second in the sprint over the 2000 meter distance at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.
Fernand Sanz arrives second in the sprint over the 2000 meter distance at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.
To person
Full name Fernando Sanz y Martinez de Arizala
Date of birth February 28, 1881
date of death January 8, 1925
nation France
discipline train
Societies)
approx. 1900 to 1902 Association Vélocipédique d'Amateurs
Most important successes
Olympic games
silverSprint 1900

Fernando "Fernand" Sanz y Martinez de Arizala (born February 28, 1881 in Madrid , † January 8, 1925 in Pau ) was a French track cyclist and illegitimate son of the Spanish King Alfonso XII.

Athletic career

Fernand Sanz started at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris and won the silver medal in the sprint . In the same year he took third place in the renowned sprint classic Grand Prix de Paris and second place in 1902, both among the amateurs . Also in 1900 he was second in the French sprint championship; in the same year he took part in the UCI track world championships in 1900 , which also took place in Paris, but could not place.

In later years, Sanz tried his hand at boxing. Twice, in 1903 and 1904, he tried unsuccessfully to box for the French title.

Son of the king

Fernand's mother, the opera singer Elena Armanda Nicolasa Sanz y Martínez de Arizala

Fernand Sanz was one of two illegitimate sons of the Spanish King Alfonso XII. His mother was the famous opera singer Elena Sanz , who was eight years older than the king. In 1881, under pressure from the Queen , she and her children went to Paris. She received a monthly pension of 5000 pesetas , which was discontinued when the Spanish king died in 1885. The following year she signed a confidentiality agreement, with which she returned most of the king's love letters. In return, 31,000 francs were invested for the sons , which should have increased to 700,000 francs when they came of age. In fact, when the mother died in 1898, the bank paid nothing. In 1907, Fernand's brother Alfonso initiated a process for paternity recognition, which was dismissed by a Spanish judge because the king was not subject to common law. Fernand Sanz, who remained unmarried, was a great-uncle of King Juan Carlos I.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. A los nenes, un beso de tu Alfonso on elmundo.es from October 1, 2006 (Spanish)