Feb6

anything can happen.

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The marathon at the 1904 St. Louis Games is one of the most unusual events in Olympic history, in no small part because it was initially won by an athlete who rode in a car for most of the race. It was American Fred Lorz, who led the field of 32 runners right out of the gate. At the 9-mile mark, however, Lorz began suffering from terrible cramping, as the combination of sweltering heat and dirt being kicked up from the unpaved route made it difficult to breathe. It was then that Lorz opted to hitch a ride with a passing vehicle, which he rode in for 11 miles before hopping out to complete the race on foot in just under three hours

Just as President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice was set to award Lorz his medal, a spectator accused him of cheating. Lorz admitted to riding in a car, claimed it was just a joke, and stated that he didn’t actually plan to accept the trophy.

With Lorz disqualified, American Thomas Hicks emerged as the new winner, though he too ran an unconventional race. At various points throughout the marathon, Hicks was helped by his trainers, who fed the athlete a combination of poisonous strychnine, egg whites, and brandy in hopes of stimulating his body. The result was that Hicks began to hallucinate around the 20-mile mark, and he was eventually carried over the finish line by trainers with a time of 3:28:53 — still taking home the gold.

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“at every olympic games, anything can happen that nobody can predict, so i did my best to win.”

*-lin dan

*lin dan is a chinese former professional badminton player. he is a two-time olympic champion, five-time world champion, as well as a six-time all england champion, and considered to the world’s greatest badminton player.

 

where and when will the next olympics be held?

Paris, France, from 26 July to 11 August 2024.

Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from 6 to 22 February 2026.

 Los Angeles, USA, from 14 to 30 July 2028.

 Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.

i can’t wait for all the crazy backstories, anything can happen.

 

 

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source credit: history facts, art and culture

 

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63 responses »

  1. This, again, is news to me. Not important to myself, but, as often, a source of amusing, amazing, (fill in adjectives) details and I thank you for that. One cd say that not much has changed, when it was cars or carrying at the time, it’s drugs and substances etc nowadays. Thanks for the smile, Beth,.

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    • I’ve never seen these and they all make perfect sense. perhaps they learned a lot from the early days.i imagine it would still be hard for me not to help someone who fell or was almost to the finish line, so I would be dq’d for that.

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  23. That is one crazy story. The second guy though…Strychnine? What people won’t do to win something..that is even crazier. I love the Olympics with all the personal stories of perserverance, dreams and dedication. Can you imagine the price of a hotel room in Paris this year in an already crazy expensive city? Champagne anyone? :))

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    • yes, how did he even survive? I know it said he was hallucinating and had to be carried….
      how fun to be in Paris for this, but as you said, so very expensive, I’m sure

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