At the first modern Olympics in 1896, Paul Masson won three cycling events – the match sprint, the one-lap time trial, and the 10,000 metre track event. The three cycling golds at one Games has been bettered among men only by Marcus Hurley (USA) in 1904 and equaled only by Robert Charpentier (FRA) in 1936 and Chris Hoy in 2008. Masson had no significant international record prior to the 1896 Olympics. After the Olympics he turned professional, adopting the name Paul Nossam (Masson spelled backwards). His only significant performance as Paul Nossam was third in the world professional sprint championship in 1897. Paul Masson was not related to the namesake of the famous wine company.
France