July 24, 1908 – There was some controversy at the London Olympic Marathon. American runner Johnny Hayes is given the Gold Medal for his finish with an Olympic record of 2:55:18.4. The Controversy was that Dorando Pietri of Italy had been disqualified for receiving assistance before the finish line.
Pietri had been the first athlete to enter the stadium where a crowd of onlookers anticipated him crossing the finish stripe first. Dorando had been helped over the finish line by British officials who were in charge of the games when he had been found to be struggling near the end of the race in what would have been a record pace.
Olympic rules stipulate that the runners must cross the finish line under their own power to be official. Many said this was the most exciting finish since Ancient Greek times when a race winner was said to have died crossing the line to win.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
What Makes An NFL Dynasty?
In terms of gratuitous overuse in the American sports vocabulary, “dynasty” is a word
Joe Nuxhall: The Story of the Youngest Player In MLB History
The date was June 10, 1944, and for the Cincinnati Reds they, like the
I Miss 1970s Football
You can call me old-fashioned– not with the times, a dinosaur–but I miss 1970s
1980 – The Fourth “World’s Strongest Man Competition”
1980 would mark the fourth annual Worlds Strongest Man Competition. But this year’s event
1979 – The Third “World’s Strongest Man Competition”
So far, we’ve covered the first and second Worlds Strongest Man Competitions. Today we’ll
Remembering the Greatest Individual Defensive Performance in NFL Playoff History
If you were to mention the name of Vernon Perry to a typical pro
How Sports Betting Has Shaped Kansas Sports – A Historical Overview
The world of sports and the realm of video games may seem like disparate
The Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
With a long history of losing and a 1–13 record in 1969, Steelers fans