Born in Boucherville, Quebec, Desmarteau was member of the Montréal Athletic Club[2][4] was one of the top competitors in the 56 lb (25.4 kg) weight throwing event, which is no longer an Olympic event. In 1902 he had won the American AAU championships, beating John Flanagan. Flanagan broke the world record in the event prior to the 1904 Olympics, making him one of the favourites for the event along with Desmarteau.[citation needed]
To compete in the Olympics, Desmarteau, a fire officer in Montréal, had to ask for a leave of absence to go to St. Louis, but he was denied by his employer. He decided to go anyway, which cost him his job.[2][4] In St. Louis, his first throw was 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m), enough for victory over Flanagan, who did not manage better than a 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) throw.[2] At the 1904 Olympics, Desmarteau was the only non-American to win in the field events.[5]
Desmarteau received a hero's welcome back in Montréal and was rehired as a police officer.[2] The following year, he died, possibly of typhoid fever.[4]
It is contended that Desmarteau was the first Olympic Games champion from Canada, although 1900 Summer Olympics champion George Orton, who ran for an American university, was also Canadian.[2][4]
^ abcdefgSanfaçon, Gaétan (2000). "DESMARTEAU, ÉTIENNE". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^Canada at the Olympics : the first hundred years : 1896-1996. Batten, Jack, 1932-. Toronto: Infact Pub. 1996. ISBN1-896092-03-9. OCLC35970844.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
