Sports

Do you know why Olympic athletes bite medals after their win?

Image credits: X

Olympic winners

We have all seen how Olympic winners bite their medals after winning.

Image credits: X

The reason

The reason is to check if the medal is of real gold.

Image credits: X

History

It all started over 100 years ago when Olympic historians were unsure used to bite gold coins.

Image credits: X

Authenticity

According to them, a small tooth mark on a coin indicated that it was made of real gold, which is more malleable than counterfeit gold-plated lead coins.

Image credits: X

Why now?

But now, the winners do it to just honour the tradition.

Image credits: X

Fact

If you apply light pressure to gold, it changes shape. So, when a gold medal is bitten by teeth, the winners will see the teeth mark on their medal. 

Image credits: X

Fact

If it is only gold plated, the gold foil will scratch off. If it is a different metal, no teeth mark is visible.

Image credits: X
Find Next One