Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 1 d ago, last 18 min ago, peak #1
The 1904 Olympic marathoner who took rat poison to win gold
Original: At the 1904 Olympics, a marathoner took rat poison to win gold https:// fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.pops ci.com/health/oly
Popular Science revisits the notorious 1904 St. Louis Olympics marathon, where American runner Thomas Hicks was given strychnine, then a common rat poison, mixed with brandy by his handlers to boost his performance. He staggered to gold in brutal heat, aided also by a ride part of the way by rival runners. The story highlights how rudimentary early doping and race conditions were at the dawn of the modern Olympics.
Why now: The article circulates around the Olympics period as a striking example of early performance-enhancing drug use in sport.
Thomas Hicks1904 St. Louis OlympicsPopular Sciencemarathon
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Evidence
- At the 1904 Olympics, a marathoner took rat poison to win gold https:// fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.pops ci.com/health/olympic-runner-rat-poison-thomas-hicks/ · popsci.com@web.brid.gy · 3
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