Olympians, Why Do They Bite Their Medals?

We all have seen those victorious moments when sportspersons win a medal at Olympics but have we ever wondered about why do they bite their medals after receiving it? Let’s find out.

Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the entire world. It is a dream for every sportsperson to win a medal for their respective countries. It obviously isn’t an easy task. More than winning, Olympics aims to provide a common ground for people from various regions and cultures to showcase their talents.

When a sportsperson wins a medal for their country, they feel very proud and why shouldn’t they? But after winning the medal, they bite it. Over the years many people tried to give various reasons about it. Let’s go through them.

1. The photographers urge the winner. That is actually true, the photographers have become used to this pose since time immemorial.

2. A tradition. Most of the people think that it was started ages ago and it has become a customary thing to do so. And no one ever questions this.

3. Verification. Gold is a malleable and ductile metal and biting a pure gold will leave a teethmark. Many experts say that in olden days people used to bite gold to check its authenticity.

The last pure gold metal was given in the year 1912. Nowadays winners are given a goldplated medal which has only 1.3% of gold (6 grams).

Winners obviously don’t doubt the authorities but biting the medal has become a playful custom.

At the end it’s all about bringing pride to the country not only by winning but also by representing the nation!