Ever wonder why Olympians bite their medals?

Do Olympians think their medals are chocolate coins wrapped in foil?

Even though medals are not chocolate coins wrapped in foil, Olympians always bite their medals while posing for the cameras after a victory ceremony. So, if they are made of actual metal, why do athletes bite them?

There are actually a few reasons, but the most obvious one is that it’s a pose photographers really like to capture. “It has become an obsession with photographers,” David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians told CNN in 2012.

He added: “I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don’t think it’s something the athletes would probably do on their own.”



The practice of biting on metal started probably during the Gold Rush, where people used the practice to test whether a rock is actual gold or just a pyrite, also known as fool’s gold. Since human teeth are harder than gold but softer than pyrite, a quick gnaw on real gold would actually leave an indentation, whereas a hard chew of pyrite would damage your teeth.

The method also helped to see whether coins were solid gold or just gold-plated over a cheaper metal.

It is possible that this archaic method led to someone once biting their Olympic medal in a spontaneous, ‘Is this real life?’ moment, and photographers found it be cute.



However, if someone was hoping to discover whether their gold medal was pure gold, their smiles would quickly fade, since Olympic gold medals are actually just 1.34% gold. The rest is made up of sterling silver.

Winning athletes would be better served to make sure the checks they receive for coming out on top don’t bounce as along with their gold medals, Olympic winners get $25,000 prizes.

This article initially appeared on Washington Post