Tony Marchant (cyclist), Date of Birth, Place of Birth
TweetTony Marchant (cyclist)
Australian Olympic cyclist
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia
About Tony Marchant (cyclist)
- Anthony John Marchant , also known as "Tippy" Marchant (born 28 August 1937) is a former Australian track cyclist who along with Ian Browne won the 2000 m tandem event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
- Marchant had little formal training and only took up the sport at the age of 16 because his friends liked the sport.
- In 1955, Marchant shot to prominence after only two years in the sport, winning the 500 m time trial and the 5 mile event at the Junior Australian Championships.
- This resulted him being approached by Browne to team up in early 1956 and they promptly won the tandem event at the national championships to earn national selection.
- The pair were eliminated after losing their first two races but were given a reprieve when the Soviet Union pair were hospitalised in a crash and forced to withdraw.
- Thereafter Marchant and Browne were unbeaten and progressed to an unlikely Olympic gold.
- In 1957, Marchant retired to play Australian rules football, again basing his decision on his friends' interests.
- In 1958 he made a brief comeback as a professional, but with only sporadic success, he retired in 1961.
Read more at Wikipedia