Ever see an Olympic champion bite their medal1 and wonder why? It seems like a strange thing to do right after winning. Let me, as a medal maker for over a decade, explain the real story behind this famous pose.
Athletes bite their medals mostly for the photographers. It is an iconic pose that creates a powerful and memorable image. This tradition started as a historical way to test if gold was real, but modern medals are not made of solid gold.
The tradition really has two parts. The first part is very old and comes from a time when money was made of pure gold. People would bite a coin to check if it was authentic. Pure gold is soft, so your teeth would leave a small mark. The second part is modern and is all about the picture. Photographers at major sporting events started asking athletes to do it. The pose looks great in photos and on TV. It shows emotion and is more interesting than just a smile. Over time, it just became the thing to do. As someone whose company, INIMAKER®, produces over 50,000 medals a month, I can tell you that biting a modern medal will not prove anything. But the image it creates is priceless.
This gesture is a fascinating mix of history and media influence. It has become so popular that it feels like a natural part of winning. But let's break down the details. The "bite test" is a real thing from history. Gold is much softer than other metals, and it is definitely softer than the metals used to make fake coins, like lead plated with gold. If you bit a real gold coin, it would bend or show a tooth mark. If it was a fake, you might just hurt your tooth. This was a quick and easy way for merchants to check money without special tools.
Today, the story is completely different. It's all about the media. I once talked with a client, Diego from Brazil, who works in sports merchandising. He told me that photos of athletes biting their medals are incredibly popular. He said they help sell more t-shirts, posters, and souvenirs. It's a "money shot" for photographers because newspapers and websites love to use these pictures. The pose is dynamic. It tells a story of hard work, victory, and even a little bit of playful rebellion. The athlete, the medal, and the bite create a perfect moment.
But what would happen if you actually bit a modern Olympic medal? First, you need to know what they are made of. They are not solid gold, not even the gold ones. For example, the Tokyo 2020 gold medals were made mostly of pure silver and then plated with about 6 grams of gold. The core of most medals we make at INIMAKER® is a strong zinc alloy or brass. We then add a very thin layer of gold or silver through a process called electroplating. If you were to bite one of these medals, you wouldn't leave a mark on the core metal. You would probably just scratch the plating or damage the special anti-oxidation coating we apply. In the worst case, you could even chip your tooth.
Who started this tradition?
So we know why athletes bite their medals. But who did it first? The official history is a bit fuzzy. It’s not like one person did it and everyone copied them the next day.
There is no single person who is officially credited with starting the medal-biting tradition2. It most likely began with swimmers in the 1980s or 1990s and grew popular because photographers encouraged it to get a more exciting shot.
The exact origin is hard to trace. It seems to have evolved over time rather than being invented by a single athlete. It became a global trend because of major international events like the Olympics, where a huge number of photographers are all trying to get the best picture.
The Evolution of a Pose
A Blurry Origin Story
Most sports historians believe the trend gained momentum in the 1980s. Swimmers are often named as the first group to start biting their medals. After a race, they are wet, emotional, and holding a medal. The bite adds a raw, powerful element to the victory photo. By the 1990s, with sports photography becoming more and more competitive, the pose was everywhere. Athletes from all sports were doing it. It became an expected part of the ceremony.
The Photographers' Role
You cannot talk about medal biting without talking about the photographers. They are a huge part of this story. In the seconds after a medal ceremony, dozens of photographers are crowded together, all yelling at the athletes. They shout things like, "Look here!" and "Show us the medal!" They also shout, "Bite it!" They ask for this pose because it sells. It is more emotional and active than a simple smile. An athlete biting a medal is a symbol of achieving the ultimate prize. I remember a corporate client, Klaus from Germany, who asked us to make medals for his company's top performers. He mentioned their event photographer specifically instructed the winners to bite their medals for the company newsletter. It shows how far the trend has come.
Potential Risks of Biting
While the pose looks great, it does come with some risks.
- Dental Damage: Medals are hard. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, a German athlete named David Moeller famously chipped his tooth on his silver medal. This is not a rare occurrence.
- Medal Damage: As a manufacturer, this is what I think about. Our medals often have intricate designs and special finishes. We use a patent-pending technology called "ColorLock" to prevent enamel colors from fading. A hard bite can scratch the protective coating, chip the enamel, or dent the fine edges. It can ruin the beautiful craftsmanship we work so hard to create.
- Germs: Think about how many people handle a medal before it is placed around an athlete's neck. From the manufacturing line to the event officials, it passes through many hands. Biting it might not be the most hygienic thing to do.
The Modern Victory Pose
The way athletes celebrate has changed a lot over the years. The medal bite is just the latest step in this evolution. Here is a simple breakdown of how victory poses have changed.
| Era | Common Victory Pose | Key Influence |
|---|---|---|
| Early 1900s | Standing formally, holding the medal | Formal photography, showing respect. |
| Mid-1900s | Raising arms in a "V" for victory | Post-war optimism and cultural symbols. |
| 1980s-1990s | Kissing the medal or holding it high | Increased media coverage, personal emotion. |
| 2000s-Present | Biting the medal | Demand from photographers for an "iconic shot." |
This evolution shows how sports celebrations have become more personal and more focused on creating a powerful image for a global audience. The simple act of biting a medal connects the athlete directly to their prize in a very physical and primal way.
Conclusion
Athletes bite their medals not to check for gold but for the perfect picture. This tradition, likely started by swimmers and made famous by photographers, is now the most recognized symbol of athletic victory around the world.
