I was surprised to learn that Léon Caurla and Pierre Brésolles did not have much contemporary writing about them. Pierre was not only a world record holder, but also a French national icon. Léon became a soldier after his running career, which was rare for trans men at the time.
Léon (center) eventually joined France’s famous 151st Line Infantry Regiment (L’Est Républicain, Feb 3, 1955, page 5).
Léon had far fewer photos than Pierre. This was one of the clearest I could find (V magazine illustré, July 6, 1951, page 8). More will likely appear as sports archives are digitized.
It took months of research and contacting historians to finally obtain a copy of this issue of the defunct magazine, Qui Detective? (Aug 1, 1951). It had much more information on Pierre than past articles.
The author compares Pierre to Zdenek Koubek.
A young Pierre featured in “The Greatest Women Sprinters” by Alain Bouillé (L’Athlétisme, Nov-Dec 1991, page 32). Bouillé claims that Léon and Pierre’s records were not removed. However, other authors claimed they were.
Léon at an older age.
Leon on the field in 1947.
Pierre before his transition at a Strasbourg meeting on August 11, 1946.
