Anders Haugen (1888-1984), a Norwegian-born American, took third place in the special ski-jumping event at the 1924 Winter Olympics. However, he did not take home a bronze medal. Why not?
A) He rejected the medal as a political protest B) He was discovered to have a criminal record C) The medal was awarded to a rival in error ü D) The medal was stolen from the hotel safe
Haugen, whose long and distinguished ski-jumping career included breaking the world distance record in 1919 with a jump of 213 ft. (65 m), went home believing he had come fourth. A scoring error had given official third place to Norwegian champion Thorlief Haug. Amazingly, the error did not come to light until 1974, when the discovery was made at a Norwegian team reunion. A special ceremony was hastily organized, and Anders Haugen was presented with his medal in September of that year. The presenter was Thorlief Haug’s daughter.
