LONDON 1908

After an unofficial Olympics in Athens in 1906, partly to appease those Greeks who felt they should stage every Games, Rome was given the 1908 Games.

They were reassigned to London after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 provided Italy with more urgent problems.

Again the marathon provided the biggest talking point. The present distance of 42.195 kms (26 miles 385 yards) was determined when organisers set a course from Windsor Castle to the royal box in the Olympic stadium.

On a rare fiercely hot day, the distance proved too much for Italian Dorando Pietri, who was illegally assisted across the line after arriving first in the stadium all but unconscious and starting to circle the track the wrong way.

American John Hayes was awarded the gold medal, a consolation to the U.S. team who had been incensed when the British did not fly the Stars and Stripes along with the other national flags in the stadium.

A worse row broke out in the 400 metres final when the judges, convinced that the lone British runner Wyndham Halswelle had been obstructed by one of three Americans, stopped the race by shouting "Foul" and breaking the tape early. The perceived offender was disqualified and after his two team mates refused to run in a replay, Halswelle trotted around alone to win the gold medal.