Why do athletes bite their medals? Winter Olympians in Beijing will follow in the tradition of Olympians past in biting their medals on the podium – but why do they do it?
Four long years have elapsed since your last chance at claiming Olympic glory.
You finally win your event and can proclaim yourself as Winter Olympic champion.
First you are presented your medal and keepsake, before your national anthem plays to the worldwide audience.
The pleasantries have been exchanged with the dignitaries, embraces with your fellow podium-sitters completed.
You then proceed to bite your medal.
That’s right, in what has become something of an Olympic tradition, athletes bite their medal after receiving it.
Why is this the case? Why do athletes bite their medals in the Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games?
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Athletes and their medal biting
During the American gold rush of the 19th century, one way hunters could find out if they had struck gold was to bite into their find.
Gold is a soft metal, which would carry the teeth-marks when it had been bitten into.
If it was an old rock – on went the hunter’s search for gold – with a bout of toothache perhaps thrown in.
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If athletes at the Winter Olympics were to bite their medals in Beijing – they’d be disappointed.
A trip to the dentist would be in order as the gold medals today are not pure gold.
Why they do it
But athletes still bite into their medals in Olympic medal ceremonies.
The actual reason behind the strange practice is quite simple.
It makes for good photos and the photographers love it.
The shots of iconic athletes with a chunk of metal in-between their teeth is a money shot.
Even athletes such as Olympic royalty in Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps – 36 Olympic medals between them – 29 of them Gold – have taken part in biting their medals.
- EXPLAINED: Why Winter Olympians aren’t paid any money for competing in the Olympics
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