Georges Dejaeghère

Georges Auguste Dejaeghère (7 January 1879 - 21 May 1955) was a French gymnast. He was a member of Jeunesse du Blanc-Seau in Tourcoing and represented France at international tournaments. It has also been said that his gymnastics performances are "brilliant" with "craftsmanship".

National-level achievements During the early 1900s he won a variety of national level competitions in France. In Mai 1901 he was crowned champion of the "Concours de Bologna-sur-Mer", after winning the excellence division. In August 1901 he won the gymnastics competition in Armentières ahead of Émile Fréteur and Charles Simon. In June 1902 he became champion at a main competition in Lens where 800 gymnasts took part. At the 1903 National Championships in Marseille he finished second with 173 points behind Joseph Martinez.

His biggest achievement at national level was at the 1904 French Gymnastics Championships in May 1904 in Arras, where he won the Carnot prize and became national champion. He scored during this championship the maximal score in the last compulsory high bar event. He won the championships with a two points lead over the number two. It was at the time a notable title, and some three decades later he was still identified as national champion when referred to in newspapers articles.

Dejaeghère also took part at early era international tournaments. Several decades later, in 1931, these international tournament, are retrospective regarded as official World Gymnastics Championships. The winners of the events and also the people who set the highest score in the individual events are recognized as world champions.

The first gymnastics World Championships took place in 1903 in Antwerp he became (retrospective) two-times world champion. Dejaeghère he set the highest score in the pommel horse discipline together with his compatriot Joseph Lux and Hendricus Thijsen of the Netherlands. Overall, he finished individually in fourth place.

The next world championships were the 1905 World Championships in Bordeaux. Als here he became again world champion in the pommel horse event and also in the team event together with Lucien Démanet, Marcel Lalu, Daniel Lavielle, Joseph Martinez and Pierre Payssé. Like at the 1903 championships, he finished individually in fourth place.

Other gymnastics activities Already during his sporting career he the assistant secretary of Jeunesse du Blanc-Seau in 1903.

After his active gymnastics career he became physical educator and earned the Medaille d'education physique in 1936. He was vice-president of the committee in 1932. In 1933 he was one of the two jury members at gymnastics competitions together with former world champion Gustave Sandras.

Personal life Georges Dejaeghère was born in Roubaix on 7 January 1879. During his adulthood he lived just south of Tourcoing in Wasquehal on rue Carpeax.

Awards