Mexico City.- They shout with their families, burst into tears, sing their country’s national anthem and take selfies with their fellow athletes on the podium. However, there is one peculiar tradition at the Olympic Games during athletes’ victories that always grabs everyone’s attention: they bite their medals.
Almost everyone has done it, from decorated Mexicans to stars of the level of Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Usain Bolt, and more recently, in Paris 2024, Tom Daley and Thomas Ceccon, among others.
But where does this tradition come from? According to the International Society of Olympic Historians, several centuries ago, merchants in Europe used to bite their gold coins at markets, trying to prove that the metal was authentic and that they were not victims of a scam.
Because gold is a soft metal that can be dented or altered with a slight force, such a bite always left a mark. If this was the case, they continued with the agreed transaction.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stopped awarding pure gold medals in 1912, so according to David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, it is unlikely that athletes would make this gesture for the same reason.
The answer is, then, much simpler than it seems: “It’s become an obsession for photographers. I think they see it as an iconic photo, as something that can probably be sold. I don’t think it’s something that athletes would necessarily do on their own,” Wallechinsky admitted to CNN.
Tony Bijkerk, the Society’s general secretary, told Today that since 1912, all major medals awarded at the Olympics have been made of silver with a gold coating, simply to distinguish them from gold.
“Unfortunately, the gold coating sometimes had a tendency to fade over the years. Fanny Blankers-Koen (Dutch runner), the heroine of the 1948 London Olympics, a good friend of mine, told me that she had to re-gild her four gold medals twice over the years.”
Wallechinsky, author of “The Complete Book of the Olympics,” says this tendency to receive glory also has a lot to do with a sense of belonging, pride, and capturing the moment in a photograph. At the end of the day, it’s a tradition.
So common and famous is this pose that there are athletes who have left their mark on their medals, such as German luge champion David Moeller, who won silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The athlete made headlines because he broke a tooth while biting his medal.
“The photographers wanted a photo of me holding the medal with just my teeth. But later, during dinner, I noticed that a little piece of one of my teeth was missing,” the German told German newspaper Bild.
Psychologist Frank Farley, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, in an interview with NBC, rounds out the answer to the mystery of the bite by pointing out that this gesture has become a universal symbol of the maximum achievements of athletes.
“Every sport has its quirks, and if you want to be part of that winning spirit, that winning culture, you participate in that winning practice. (The bite) makes your medals yours. It’s an emotional connection to your achievement,” Farley reflects.
“The concept of an icon, something that represents something more, is deeply rooted in all of us. But at the Olympic Games, there’s a twist: it’s like leaving a mark of yourself (on the medal) forever.”
Mexicans Juan Manuel Celaya Hernandez and Osmar Olvera Ibarra bite their silver medals on the podium after the 3-meter synchronized springboard diving final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Credit: AP
The curious tradition of athletes who win at the Olympic Games biting their medals has a very simple explanation: a request from photographers. Credit: AP
According to the International Society of Olympic Historians, several centuries ago, merchants in Europe used to bite their gold coins at flea markets. Credit: AP
This peculiar bite of victory has been done by almost everyone, from decorated Mexicans to stars of the level of Michael Phelps, Simone Biles (pictured) and Usain Bolt. Credit: Taken from X
Italian gold medalists Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini bite their medals after winning the women’s doubles tennis in Paris. Credit: AP
Britain’s Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher took bronze after the men’s 3m synchronised springboard diving final at Paris 2024. Credit: AP
German luge champion David Moeller, who won silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics, broke a tooth while biting his medal. Credit: Taken from X
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