After this she became an active participant in French athletics and from 2002 she held the position of chairman of the board being in charge of the French anti-doping laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry just outside Paris.
She was extremely dedicated to sport and anyone who knew her would vouch for that. According to Michel Jazy, the French middle-distance runner She wanted to achieve so much in sports and she did it by becoming Olympic champion in Mexico. I remember her triumph so well. It moved us all to tears, even General de Gaulle.'
Colette Besson can certainly be included in any list of the best French national athletes and the whole French sports community is in mourning after losing one of its greatest representatives.
