• Paris 1924

Paris 1924 - Quick Hits

ESPN staff
October 12, 2011
Paris 1924: Key Moments | Quick Hits | Key Facts | Medal Table | Gallery | Olympics Histories Home

Helen Wills Moody and Hazel Wightman won gold in ladies' doubles © PA Photos
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Jaws
French boxer Roger Brousse was disqualified in the quarter finals when his teethmarks were found on the chest of British opponent Henry Mallin. Mallin went on to win the middleweight gold medal.

Unlucky or what?
American athlete Robert LeGendre was not selected for the US long jump team. He did, however, take part in the pentathlon and went on to set a long jump world record with a leap of 7.77 meters. The following day, his compatriot William DeHart-Hubbard won the long jump gold medal with a mark of 7.44 meters. LeGendre took bronze in the pentathlon.

Women's rights
The first women's world games were organised in Paris in 1922, following the initiative of Alice Milliat, the president of the international women's sporting federation. Her goal was to battle the views of Pierre de Coubertin, the president of the International Olympic Committee, for whom the only "true Olympic heroes were male individuals," and raise the presence of women at the Olympic Games.

Arty
An art competition was organised and featured notable writers such as Jean Giraudoux, Henry de Montherlant and Paul Claudel, as well as composer Maurice Ravel and painter Fernand Leger.

Melting in the heat
The cross country race was a near disaster - at least for many of the competitors - and signaled the end of the event in the Olympics. It was held on one of the hottest days in Parisian history, and 23 of the 38 runners failed to finish the race, prompting organisers to drop the discipline.

Crossing the Channel
American Gertrude Ederle, who won the 100-metre freestyle bronze medal, became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926.

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