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
Sports History On This Day: September 17
September 17, 1954 – Re-matches in title fights generally have taken a while to reschedule
Sports History On This Day: September 16
September 16, 1869 – Golf’s 1st recorded hole-in-one by Tom Morris Jr. occurred at Prestwick’s
Sports History On This Day: September 15
September 15, 1957 – The San Francisco Seals minor league baseball club of the Pacific
Sports History On This Day: September 14
September 14, 1913 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Larry Cheney had a day that made most,
Sports History On This Day: September 13
September 13, 1872 – At the British Open Men’s Golf tournament held at the Prestwick
Remembering the NFL Films Team Highlight Films of the 1970s
If you are in your 50s like me, you probably grew up watching the
Sports History On This Day: September 12
September 12, 1982 – At the US Open Men’s Tennis tournament there was a historic
Why Was “Shorty” Ray Considered an NFL Giant?
When we think of really big men who have had a positive impact on