after nearly injuring spectators on his first throws

(robert garrett, via wikipedia)

from today’s daily briefing about the history of the olympics:

The first Olympics featured nine sports across 43 events, and produced some charming stories.

Robert Garrett, an American, had never seen a discus. To practice, he had a blacksmith forge — based on classical accounts — “a 12-inch discus that weighed 30 pounds and was impossible to throw any distance.”

When he arrived in Athens, he learned that a discus was only about eight inches across and weighed less than five pounds. After nearly injuring spectators on his first throws, he won the gold.