Pierre Quinon

After his retirement, from 1993 onwards, Quinon settled in the Mediterranean coast of the department of Var , in the communes of Le Lavandou, Bormes-les-Mimosas and then Hyères. He would live in the Var until his death. He went into business - he owned a chicken rotisserie business, running it from a van based in Hyères.[8][10]

In the late 1990s, Quinon created the 'Sports en lumière' in Bormes-les-Mimosas, in co-operation with its town council. The 'Sports en lumière is an annual sporting event held in Bormes-les-Mimosas that is especially meant for children, during which free workshops on various sports are conducted.[10]

Quinon acted as an advisor to the French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil in 2004, an experience which Quinon deemed as a "failure" when his protégé failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games pole vault final in Athens.[2]

Quinon did abstract painting during the last five years of his life, starting from 2006. He started painting after a meeting with the artist Colin Raffer in the same year. He stated that he had always been interested in painting and that Nicolas de Staël and Jackson Pollock were his role models who inspired him. He exhibited his works regularly in the Var with some success. The first exhibition of his works in February 2010 was a success.[1][2]

Quinon supported and promoted the bid of his native city - Lyon - to host the 2015 World Masters Athletics Championships. He worked on the preparations for the bid and accompanied his country's senior sports officials to the United States as part of his duties. On 14 July 2011, the three bid cities - Bydgoszcz, Lyon and Perth - made their bidding presentations to the World Masters Athletics General Assembly in Sacramento, California. Quinon's concluding speech made during the bidding presentations seemed to be a major factor in Lyon receiving the greatest number of votes from the General Assembly for both rounds of voting held on the same day immediately after the bidding presentations. Lyon was thus chosen as the host city of the 2015 World Masters Athletics Championships.[1][4][11][12]

At around 10 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, Quinon committed suicide by throwing himself headlong out of a window of his apartment in Hyères from a height of 5 metres. The local French daily Var-Matin broke the news of his suicide the following morning and this was later confirmed by the Fédération française d'athlétisme. Quinon had been suffering from depression for some time and had been taking tablets to treat it. At the time of his self-defenestration, he had a woman friend in his home. Quinon was survived by his mother, his sister (Isabelle), his ex-wife (Caroline Large) and his two sons (Robin and Jean-Baptiste, from his marriage to Caroline Large).[13][1]

In an interview with the French radio network Europe 1, Jean-Claude Perrin, Quinon's former coach, said, "When a life is lost like that, titles and records do not count any more." Perrin said that he was "very distressed" by the "terrible news" of Quinon's suicide. He said that he was lucky enough to share Quinon's life intimately for five years when he was his coach. [1][5]

Bernard Amsalem, the president of the Fédération française d'athlétisme, said that he was "grief-stricken" on hearing the news of Quinon's death. "He was a great champion. He was atypical in the world of athletics, but he was very likable," described Amsalem.[1]

Jean Galfione, the 1996 Olympic Games pole vault gold medallist, said, "Pierre was someone whom I admired. It (a poster of Quinon) was the only poster that I owned in my bedroom when I was a kid." Galfione described Quinon as his role model. Galfione said that they would train together when he was at the beginning of his pole vaulting career and Quinon was nearing the end of his, and that they became close.[1]

Marcel Ferrari, the president of the Ligue d’Athlétisme Rhône-Alpes, who like Quinon was a member of the French delegation to the July 2011 World Masters Athletics General Assembly in Sacramento, California, told Lyon Capitale that he did not observe any warning signs of Quinon's impending suicide.[11]

Quinon's funeral took place in the commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas in the department of Var in the afternoon of August 23, 2011. It was attended by more than 200 persons, among them his two sons (Robin and Jean-Baptiste), his ex-wife (Caroline Large), his sister (Isabelle), his mother, Jean-Claude Perrin (his former coach) and notable, retired French athlete like Stéphane Diagana, Maryse Éwanjé-Épée, Thierry Vigneron, Christian Plaziat and William Motti.[14]

The funeral started in front of the town hall, in front of which was placed Quinon's coffin that was draped with the French flag. Two giant, black and white posters of Quinon hung from the balcony of the town hall. The French President Nicolas Sarkozy had a wreath of flowers delivered to the funeral. Albert Vatinet, the mayor of Bormes-les-Mimosas, was the first to deliver a eulogy in praise of his friend. "At present, you are next to the stars, at the summit of Mount Olympus," said Vatinet at the end of his eulogy. The French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno sent a message of condolence that was read out to the crowd by a representative. In her message, Jouanno recalled the magical moment on 8 Aug 1984 when Quinon became an Olympic champion and announced that all French athletes at the upcoming 2011 World Championships in Athletics would wear black armbands. A very moved Stéphane Diagana, who was a friend of Quinon, read a hand-written letter from Jean Galfione, the 1996 Olympic Games pole vault gold medallist. In his letter, Galfione, who was then in the French city of Brest for a sailing competition (he had been practising sailing competitively since 2007), wrote, "It is thanks to you, Pierre, that I made my first pole vault. You will remain the best." and also expressed his admiration of Quinon - his "hero" - of whom he had a poster in his bedroom. In his eulogy, Diagana described Quinon as an "aesthete of life" who "took great delight in beautiful things".[14][13][15]

The French national anthem, La Marseillaise, rang out. The cortege then walked in silence to the Roman Catholic Church of Saint-Trophyme in Bormes-les-Mimosas for a religious ceremony conducted by the parish priest, Father Lopez. During the religious ceremony, Robbie Williams's song Angels, which was chosen by Quinon's family to bid farewell to him, rang out inside the church. In his eulogy, Quinon's older son, Robin, who was then 24 years old, called his father "the hero of his life". In accordance with his wish, Quinon was then buried in the cemetery of Bormes-les-Mimosas. Only family members were present during the burial.[14][13][16]

On 23 April 2004, Salaise-sur-Sanne's collège gymnasium was renamed "gymnase Pierre Quinon".[17]

The gymnasium in Bormes-les-Mimosas was renamed "gymnase Pierre Quinon" in early September 2011, less than one month after Quinon's death. It was inaugurated on 20 February 2012, on what would have been Quinon's 50th birthday. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Quinon's two sons (Robin and Jean-Baptiste), his ex-wife (Caroline Large), Albert Vatinet (the mayor of Bormes-les-Mimosas), Bernard Amsalem (the president of the Fédération française d'athlétisme),and notable French athletes such as Laurence Bily, Stéphane Diagana, Jean Galfione, Joseph Mahmoud and William Motti.[13][18]

A newly constructed sports indoor stadium in Nantes, the stadium métropolitain Pierre-Quinon, was opened in September 2013.[19][20]

• Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur[21]

• only the position and height in the final are indicated

• French all-time top lists - Pole vault
• Men's pole vault world record progression

• Pierre Quinon at World Athletics
• Pierre Quinon at Sports Reference
• An analysis of Pierre Quinon's vault technique

Records
Preceded by Vladimir Polyakov	Men's Pole Vault World Record Holder August 28, 1983 – September 1, 1983	Succeeded by Thierry Vigneron