You’ve seen it a thousand times: the triumphant athlete bites down on their medal like they’re testing a gold coin from a pirate movie. But that tradition has nothing to do with checking if it’s real gold. Back in the day, merchants would bite gold to test its softness (real gold is soft and would show tooth marks). Today, photographers just love that pose—it sells newspapers. The IOC begs athletes not to do it because the medals are fragile and you might chip a tooth. But do they listen? No. They’re Olympians, they bite down on success like a hungry shark.
Fun fact: in 2010, a Canadian ice hockey player actually broke a tooth biting his medal. His reward? A gold tooth to replace it. Talk about a permanent souvenir.
The Exceptions: When We Got Real Gold
There are a few oddballs in the medal history. For example, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gave out gold medals that were actually heavier than normal (about 576 grams), but still not solid gold. The 2026 Tokyo Olympics went eco-friendly and made all medals from recycled electronics. That’s right—your gold medal might have lived a former life as a Nokia 3310 or a broken toaster. Which is actually cooler than virgin gold, if you ask me.
World Athletics introduces $50,000 prize money for Paris 2026 Olympic
And let’s not forget the 1896 Athens Olympics, where winners got a silver medal and an olive branch. The word “gold” wasn’t even in the medal’s vocabulary until 1904. So if you time-travel back to win an ancient Olympics, prepare to be crowned with literal weeds. Not exactly bling.
