We're Feelin' a Little Heavy Today
I promise this is the last Olympic fact (at least for a while).
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. We’re in the final stretch of the Olympics, but there’s still time to weigh in.
The gold and silver medals from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City are the heaviest Olympic medals ever made, at 567 grams, or just over 20 ounces.
The 2024 Paris Olympics wrap up this weekend. Perhaps you noticed the Eiffel Tower looking extra tall, or you enjoyed some of this year’s sillier moments.
You might also notice how lightweight the medals seem around the necks of the winners. That’s because the medals for the Summer Olympics have a more sleek and modern design. Winter Olympics medals take a more freestyle approach, which typically results in thicker and heavier prizes.
To wit, the Salt Lake City gold and silver medals were both 567 grams (bronzes were 454 grams, or slightly more than 16 ounces). The golds and silvers remain the heaviest Olympic medals.
Meanwhile, gold medals from the Paris Olympics weigh 529 grams, about 18.6 ounces. Silver medals are 525 grams, and bronzes are 455 grams.
The Salt Lake City medals had different designs for each sport. The Olympic committee called on 16 artists to help create those images. Each of the medals in Paris has a piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower in them. You decide which one is more impressive.
It’s been 22 years since the Salt Lake City games, so you may not remember the mascots of Powder, Coal, and Copper. This cute trio of snowshoe hare, black bear, and coyote won out over other potential mascots that 42,000 schoolchildren came up with.
Other names included Sky, Cliff, Shadow, Arrow, Bolt, and Rocky. For most people, the name “Rocky” evokes Sylvester Stallone as a triumphant boxer.
For me? My first thought goes to the Denver Nuggets mascot—namely, the time when the person inside the mascot suit passed out moments into being lowered down from the ceiling on a wire.
It’s a bizarre clip, unintentionally turned into a funny moment thanks to the music and PA announcer in the background.
Don’t worry—everyone walked away from this moment unharmed.
And I’m walking away from this Olympics the same way I do every year: without a medal but with more joy in my heart than before the games began.
Pure gold, Joey!
Not only do I remember Powder, Coal, and Copper, but I have a children's book featuring them with 2 pages of tattoos inside! Thanks, Joey - it's been fun learning more about the Olympics with you. And WOW - a piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower is way cool!