Aryan Supremacy, Drinking Poison, And Hallucinations: Why The 1904 Marathon Was The Most Bizzare Olympic Event

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The 1904 Summer Olympics is one such event in the history of sports where chaos was the name of the game, and bizarre was the rule, not the exception. This event in St. Louis was quite unusual and the marathon event stood out for its odd mix of athletes and peculiar incidents.

Imagine a race where the top competitors include a man who hitched a ride in a car, another who was carried across the finish line after being doped up on strychnine, and yet another who took a detour to munch on some apples. Read on to know more.

About The Marathon

The 1904 Olympics were supposed to be a grand international event. Instead, they turned into a mostly American affair. Out of 651 athletes, only 62 were from outside North America. Many European athletes decided not to attend, put off by the long journey across the Atlantic and the overshadowing presence of the World's Fair. This resulted in a heavily skewed medal tally, with the United States winning 239 out of 280 medals.

The low international turnout also meant that many events lacked the competitive spirit we associate with the Olympics. It was less of a global sporting competition and more of a local track meet with some international guests.

Fred Lorz was declared the winner after crossing the finish line first. The crowd cheered, medals were about to be handed out, and then-whoops! It turned out Lorz had ridden in a car for 11 miles of the race. Disqualified! Enter Thomas Hicks, the real winner. Hicks's trainers, in a move that would horrify modern sports medicine, dosed him with strychnine (a common rat poison) mixed with brandy to keep him going. By the time he stumbled across the finish line, he was barely conscious and had to be carried by his trainers.

And then there's Felix Carvajal, a Cuban mailman who decided to run the marathon in street clothes. Along the way, he stopped to chat with spectators, had a snack of rotten apples that gave him a stomachache, and took a nap on the roadside. Despite all this, Carvajal still managed to finish fourth. Talk about perseverance!

The Olympic Games have a rich history dating back to ancient Greece. In modern times, they have seen many notable moments, especially in American history.

Jesse Owens' victories in the 1936 Berlin Olympics are among the most iconic. Owens, an African American track and field athlete, won four gold medals at these games. His achievements not only showcased his talent but also challenged Adolf Hitler's belief in Aryan supremacy. Owens' success became a powerful symbol of racial equality and defiance against Nazi ideology.

Anthropology Day: The Olympics' Most Controversial Sideshow

If the marathon sounds wild, wait until you hear about the so-called "Anthropology Days." Held as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (a fancy name for the World's Fair), these events were meant to showcase "primitive" sports by inviting indigenous people from around the world to compete. The idea was to demonstrate the superiority of Western civilization-a notion as absurd as it was offensive.

Participants, including Native Americans, Pygmies, and Filipinos, were asked to compete in events they had never seen before, such as the shot put, high jump, and javelin throw. The whole affair was a demeaning spectacle that had little to do with athletic competition and everything to do with racist and ethnocentric attitudes of the time.

From Dumbbell Contests To Greased Pole Climb: List Of Peculiar Events

The 1904 Olympics featured several events that might seem peculiar by today's standards. One such event was the tug-of-war, which, believe it or not, was an official Olympic sport until 1920. Teams of athletes would pull on opposite ends of a rope until one team was dragged across a line. It was a test of strength, teamwork, and sheer stubbornness.

Other unusual events included the greased pole climb and dumbbell contests. The former involved competitors trying to climb a pole smeared with grease-an event that sounds more like a county fair attraction than an Olympic sport. The latter was essentially a weightlifting competition but was conducted in such a disorganized manner that records of the results are sketchy at best.

The organizational aspect of the 1904 Olympics was, to put it mildly, a mess. Events were loosely defined, rules varied significantly, and there was a general lack of standardization. For example, in some events, multiple athletes were awarded the same medal due to ties or scoring errors. In other cases, athletes competed in events without proper training or preparation, leading to inconsistent performances and numerous injuries.

One particularly chaotic example was the boxing competition, which was included for the first time in Olympic history. The event was marred by disputes over rules, weight classes, and judging decisions. Some bouts were so poorly managed that spectators were left confused about who had won.

Legacy Of The 1904 Olympics

Despite its many flaws and bizarre moments, the 1904 Olympics played a significant role in the development of the modern Olympic movement. The Games highlighted the need for better organization, standardization of rules, and greater international participation. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) took these lessons to heart, leading to improvements in subsequent Olympics.

The 1904 Olympics also marked the first time that gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top three finishers in each event-a tradition that continues to this day. Moreover, the Games helped to solidify the Olympic movement in the United States, paving the way for future American participation and success in the Olympics.