Tony Marchant (cyclist)

Tony Marchant
Personal information
Full nameTony Marchant
NicknameTippy
Born (1937-08-28) 28 August 1937 (age 87)
Chelsea, Victoria, Australia
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Men's track cycling
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne 2000 m tandem

Anthony John Marchant OAM, 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.