Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 14 h ago, last 18 min ago, peak #1
1904 Olympic marathoner took rat poison in bid for 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
A resurfaced story recounts how Thomas Hicks, winner of the marathon at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, was given strychnine, then a common rat poison, along with brandy, to boost his performance. His handlers dosed him during the race, and he collapsed after crossing the finish line. The anecdote highlights how rudimentary and dangerous early doping practices were, a striking contrast with today's strict anti-doping rules.
Why now: The strange history of early Olympic doping is drawing renewed attention, likely tied to ongoing discussions about performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
Thomas Hicks1904 St. Louis OlympicsPopular Science
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- 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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