Michel Johann Théato (22 March 1878 – 2 April 1923) was a Luxembourgish born French long-distance runner, and the winner of the marathon at the 1900 Olympics in Paris running for France.

In the 20th century, Alain Bouillé discovered that Théato was born in Luxembourg and had moved to Belgium before settling down in the Paris suburbs.

[5] Théato's victory was initially disputed, as several of his opponents, including American runner Arthur Newton, who finished fifth, alleged that Théato had cheated by taking multiple shortcuts, helped by his local knowledge of the Parisian streets through his job as a delivery boy.

The first three finishers only receive as rewards after the race porcelain pottery, of no real value, provided by an ungenerous industrialist;[6] these were commented on at the time as being “objects of horror” or even “hardware”.

[7] The athletics statistician Alain Bouillé revealed at the end of the 20th century that Théato was not yet French at the time of the Games.