Shooting / Gymnastics / Vizille - Lot 245

Shooting / Gymnastics / Vizille Round silver medal (800 parts per thousand) awarded by the City of Vizille during a shooting competition in 1891 Obverse: depiction of soldiers surrounded by gymnastics equipment Weight: ? Diameter: 4 cm In the context of the “Revanche” of the 1890s, gymnastics and shooting were major disciplines. The Vizille Shooting Society, founded in 1886, became known as “La Patriote” and aligned itself with the 105th Territorial Infantry Regiment in 1891, a pivotal year in the history of sports. The 1891 Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race was organized to test French equipment and the strength of French athletes, as our cyclists also had to be capable of riding all the way to Berlin. It’s worth noting that one of Vizille’s leading figures at the time was Mr. Joseph Clavel, the local saddler, who was a champion with the Gras rifle. He held his own against the sharpest shooters from “L’Arbresloise,” “La Beaujolaise,” and the renowned “Stéphanoise”—the region’s other major sports clubs.