During the Olympic Games, athletes from different countries try to show their best and set new records to make history. The Olympic Games are an important event, although funny incidents have also happened at the Olympics.
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Clever solution
Frederico Lorz, a participant in the 1904 marathon race, became famous during the St. Louis games thanks to his cunning rather than persistence. He ran 15 kilometres before getting into a car, driving 17 kilometres, and then returning to the course to be the first to cross the finish line.
Of course, his cheating was soon uncovered, and the win was cancelled. Frederico faced a life sentence of disqualification, but it lasted less than a year; already in 1905, he finished first at the Boston Marathon.
The longest marathon
An equally amusing incident happened to Japanese marathon runner Shinzo Kanakuri during the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. At that time, the journey from Japan to the Swedish capital took 18 days. Having spent this time in a cramped third-class cabin under the scorching sun and in tropical conditions, the athlete could hardly be ready to compete.
Overexertion, nutritional problems, and other difficulties led to an unpleasant situation: right during the race, he fell down. Locals helped him, but the Japanese were so embarrassed that he left Sweden without notifying the Olympic Committee. As a result, he was reported missing, and only 22 days after the end of the games, the newspapers learned that Shinzo was alive.
After returning to his homeland, Kanakuri repeatedly tried his luck and still ran the Olympic distance, first in 1920 in Antwerp and then in Paris in 1924. In 1967, the Swedish press again remembered our hero and invited him to complete the race.
Thus, it became the longest marathon in history: it took 54 years, 250 days, 5 hours, and 32 and a half minutes to complete it.
Incredible will to win
At the next Olympic Games, held in Amsterdam, an amusing incident occurred. Bob Pearce, a two-time rowing champion, showed amazing skill with the oar. During the race, his boat was stopped by a flock of ducks who decided to cross the canal. Pierce had to wait for the birds to pass before he could continue the competition. In the meantime, his rival managed to pull away significantly, five hulls ahead. Nevertheless, Pierce was able to catch up with his opponent and eventually win first place on the podium.
The winner without shoes
Another hero of the marathon became like an ancient Greek not only because of the length of the distance but also because he ran all 42 kilometres barefoot. Initially, this was not part of the plan, but circumstances were different. The athlete who was supposed to participate in the race broke his leg, and Abebe Bikile was forced to step in as a substitute.
The sponsoring company was unable to provide shoes in the right size, so Abebe started barefoot. Amazingly, he not only won and became the 1960 Olympic champion but also set a new world record.
One for All
The pentathlon discipline includes events in running, shooting, swimming, dressage, and fencing. At the same games where the Ethiopian athlete rose to fame, the Tunisian team faced disgrace.
Already at the swimming stage, there was a problem: one of the competitors was eliminated because he could not swim. Dressage also failed, as the rented horses were unprepared and more suited for transporting goods than for competition. In shooting, the results were disastrous: the team scored zero points.
When it came to fencing, one of the athletes, who owns cold weapons, tried to change the situation. He changed the numbers and names of his friends at each stage, hoping that the mask would hide his face. However, the scam was uncovered, and even if it had succeeded, it still would not have helped the team to avoid last place in the final standings.
