Century-old mystery: 'Unknown Boy' may be the youngest ever Olympic champion

PARIS, France — "It's probably the biggest Olympics mystery of all," said historian Hilary Evans of the chaotic 1900 rowing race in Paris that may have produced the youngest-ever champion.

As the third Olympics hosted in Paris draw to a close, the identity of a child coxswain who steered two Dutch rowers, Francois Antoine Brandt and Roelof Klein, across the finish line first in Paris more than a century ago remains unknown.

In the constantly updated Olympic archives in Lausanne, he is recorded simply as "Unknown French Boy," infuriating researchers like Evans who at various times have come tantalizingly close to uncovering his name.

"People think they've made a breakthrough every decade or so and it feels like it's within reach, but we've never managed to solve it," Evans explained by phone from his home in Wales.

The story shines a light not only on the amateurish beginnings of the modern Olympics, which have since become a multi-billion-dollar industry, but also the work of a passionate group of researchers for whom no trivia question is too small.

Evans, who spends his days as a sheep farmer and his evenings poring over microfilm and old sports magazines, developed a theory earlier this year about the Unknown Boy and says "we actually thought we'd solved it conclusively."

Alas, it was another false dawn — and a bitter disappointment for the 54-year-old who describes his biggest achievement as discovering the names of the 1900 gymnastics finalists.

"The ages didn't match up so we had to put the theory to bed," he added.

Evans was hoping that the latest Paris Olympics must prompt someone, somewhere to delve into some dusty Parisian rowing club archives, or find a yellowing photograph that cracks the riddle?

"If it doesn't happen this year, with all the publicity, it's going to be really hard, to be honest," Evans said. 

Only one photo exists of the Unknown Boy, unearthed by the late Dutch researcher Tony Bijkerk who spent nearly half a century on the conundrum.

In it, the boy is dark haired and small-framed, smartly dressed in long trousers and a shirt. He stands between the two victorious Dutch rowers and the top of his head comings up to their chests.

Accordi