Born in 1874, Frenchman Paul Masson won three of the six cycling events (1km time trial, 10km track race, 1,000m sprint) at the inaugural 1896 Olympic Games. After the Games in Athens, he turned professional and changed his name to Paul Nossam (Masson spelled backwards).
Il gagna la troisième place dans le championnat professionnel du monde de vitesse en 1897.
