Mystery solved: What are the Olympic medals made of?
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For the best athletes in the Olympics, their lives’ athletic training has gotten them to the top of the podium in one of the biggest events in the world. All that work and struggle, and at the end of the road is a gold medal waiting to be placed around their victorious necks.
Well, only part of it is gold.
Gold medals that were made for the Olympics aren’t actually gold. The ratio isn’t even close.
All that glitters is not gold.
Gold medals haven’t been made of gold since the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. The gold medal’s current value is $565, but if it was made entirely of gold, it would be worth a staggering $21,200.
The bronze medal, on the other hand, is worth the same amount as a tube of toothpaste – or $2.38. Much like Katie Ledecky in the 800-meter freestyle, the disparity between first and third is rather large.
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