Jim Thorpe won the 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon. No one has done that since.
Jim Thorpe, photo by Olympics.org.
Due to the amateur rules at the time, Jim Thorpe, a native-American, was stripped of his Olympic medals due to making $35 to $50 a day playing baseball. It was a sham, and it was about wealthy white guys protecting athletic standards that did not give talented working class athletes of any race or religious background the luxury to compete. Most people had to work to support themselves. When did they train?
The support for Jim Thorpe continues to grow….he may have been the greatest athlete of all times…
HARRISBURG (USA): The state where legendary Native American athlete Jim Thorpe is buried has unanimously backed calls for him to be recognised as the sole Olympic champion in pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Games. State Representative Doyle Heffley had introduced Resolution 1001 at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in Harrisburg. From insidethegames.
To read the entire story, please go to: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1099877/jim-thorpe-pennsylvania-house
