Though the Olympics have ancient roots, a modern revival of the games has been going on for as long as we’ve been on this earth. Even the fifth Summer Olympics, held in Stockholm in 1912, has faded from popular memory. But thanks to 21st-century technology, we can recall a surprisingly vivid account of the games. Competition footage You can take advantage of these resources whenever you like, just like you did with the 33rd Summer Olympic Games in Paris, which are currently underway. For those interested in sports history, one particularly fascinating use of these resources is to compare the performance of Olympic athletes over time. We know that athletes’ performance has improved, but looking at the numbers is one thing, and comparing them side by side is quite another.
Respectable Men’s 100 metersBoth the 1912 and 2020 finals Video above112 years ago, American Ralph Craig won in 10.8 seconds (after seven false starts, possibly an eighth). Three years ago (Tokyo 2020 was postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19), the same event was won by Italian Marcel Jacobs, who crossed the finish line in 9.8 seconds.
An even bigger evolution JavelinThat’s up from 60.64 meters, set by Sweden’s Eric Lemming in 1912, to 87.58 meters, set by Neeraj Chopra in 2020. (Chopra isn’t done breaking records, at least judging by the media coverage he received back home upon his recent arrival at the Olympic Village in Paris.)
Pole vaulting has also made great strides, or rather, improvements. Right aboveThat ties the record set by American Henry S. Babcock (3.95m) in 1912 and Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis (6.02m) in 2020. Mondo was born and raised in both the US and Sweden, but because his mother is Swedish he was able to compete for the US, so technically it’s a binational record. In recent decades, such mixed-nationality cases (such as the US-born Italian Jacobs) have become more common at the Olympics, and in that and other ways the Olympics have long reflected changes in the world at large. And while whether humanity is improving as a whole remains a hotly debated topic, there’s no denying that we’re getting a lot better at running, throwing, and jumping with the help of a big stick.
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Based in Seoul, Colin MaOnershall Writing and broadcastingHe has written papers on cities, languages, and cultures, and his projects include the Substack newsletter. Books about cities And books A city without a state: Walking through 21st-century Los Angeles. Follow us on Twitter CollinhamOnershall or Facebook.
