The real reason why Olympians bite their medals despite disturbing safety risk

The 2024 Paris Olympics are well underway, but the trend of athletes biting their medals has got viewers questioning why they even do the odd ritual.

If I had won an Olympic medal, I would probably be too stunned to do anything even close to photo ready.

But it seems with the Olympics well underway, some winners are keeping this tradition of biting their medals alive.

This year, we've already seen a few athletes try and gnaw at their medals, like Team GB’s star diver Tom Daley.

Tom Daly biting down on his silver medal during this year's 2024 Paris Olympics. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

However, while it does make for a great photo, some people have got to asking why do Olympians even do it, especially since their can be some safety concerns.

Back in 2010, David Moeller, a German Luger who was competing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, claimed that he chipped his tooth after biting down on his silver medal. Ouch.

Would make for quite a story though: "I chipped my tooth when I bit down on my OLYMPIC MEDAL."

Well, the reason why athletes tend do it is a little bit complicated.

Tennis legend Serena Williams biting her gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics. (Luis ACOSTA / AFP) (Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images))

Some people say it is a ritual that dates back to the American gold rush in the 1800s in America.

People have claimed that due to gold being softer than silver or bronze, one way they used to test whether the medal was authentic or not is to bite into it.

This is reportedly prospectors would test whether they had real gold, biting into it.

But unfortunately, this doesn’t really work for Olympic medals as, according to Oxford Economics, the gold medals at the Paris Olympics consist of 523 grams of silver, coated in 6 grams of gold.

Simone Biles chomping down on her gold medal during the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

But other reasoning has said the reason is much more simple - that the trend is driven by photographers as it can make for a great picture.

David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, spoke to CNN and said that the medal winners are often asked to bite down on them by cameramen.

“It’s become an obsession with the photographers," Wallechinsky said. “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."

Michael Phelps also biting his own medal 2016.(GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Frank Farley, a professor from Temple University in Philadelphia and former president of the American Psychological Association argued that the tradition can take on a more personal meaning for the athletes that take part.

He said: "Sports all have their eccentricities. If you want to be part of the winning zeitgeist, that winning culture, you participate in that winning practice.

"It makes your medal yours. It's an emotional connection with your accomplishment."

Team USA's current medal count - 22

Gold medalists

• Lee Kiefer: Fencing - Women's individual foil
• Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
• Jack Alexj, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Matt King: Swimming - Men's 4x100m freestyle
• Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera: Gymnastics

Silver medalists

• Nic Fink: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
• Lauren Scruggs: Fencing - Women's individual foil
• Gretchen Walsh: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
• Haley Batten: Mountain Bike - Women's cross country
• Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh. Torri Huske, Simone Manuel, Erika Connolly, Abbey Weitzel: Swimming - Women's 4x100m freestyle
• Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook: Diving - Women's springboard 3m synchronised
• Katie Grimes: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
• Jagger Eaton: Skateboarding - Men's street

Bronze medalists

• Carson Foster: Swimming - Men's 400m individual medley
• Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle
• Chloe Dygert: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
• Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Paul Juda, Asher Hong: Artistic Gymnastics - Men's team competition
• Nick Itkin: Fencing - Men's foil individual
• Emma Weyant: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
• Ryan Murphy: Swimming - Men's 100m backstroke
• Luke Hobson: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
• Nyjah Huston: Skateboarding - Men's street
• Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Frederick Richard: Gymnastics