Fernand Sanz
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Fernand Sanz arrives second in the sprint over the 2000 meter distance at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900. | |
To person | |
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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 | |
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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 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
- Fernand Sanz in the Radsportseiten.net database
- Fernand Sanz in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
- La Familie Real Española en los JJOO on olimpismo2007.blogspot.de from September 12, 2010 (Spanish)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Sanz, Fernand |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sanz y Martinez de Arizala, Fernando |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French track cyclist |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 28, 1881 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Madrid |
DATE OF DEATH | January 8, 1925 |
Place of death | Pau |