Rejected Olympic Events – Plunging for Distance

During the Olympics, we are bombarded with images of athletes competing in sporting events from gymnastics to water polo and everything in between. But, what about the events from games past the DIDN'T make the cut?

On the show this morning I talked about a list of little known events that aren't around anymore. One that we tried to figure out and joked about was Plunge for Distance. At first thought, I imagine a big guy cannon balling into a pool, measure the distance of the spash or maybe even small children in swimmies that were catapolted out during the blast. But NO, it's something entirely different.

It turns out that it was a one time Olymic event during the Paris games of 1904. The atheletes started with a standing dive, then had to stay motionless underwater for one minute or until their heads broke the surface of the water, whichever came first. The longest distance, won the event.

WOW, it appears I have been training for this discontinued event since I was about 3! LOL