Gold Medalists Have Been Ringing a Bell After Their Win. What’s the Deal With That?
Gabby Thomas, the 200-metre Olympic champion, and every other gold medalist gets a chance to ring a large trackside bell. What’s the story?
A finish line celebration, sure. A victory lap? De rigueur.
But that’s not enough for these Olympic Games in Paris. When the winners of each event on the track get the go-ahead, they pull a rope to ring a large bronze church bell, signifying their triumph.
Noah Lyles did it. So did Julien Alfred and Joshua Cheptegei. Gabby Thomas got her turn on August 6, shortly after Cole Hocker.
How did a bell come to be at the track? Thank rugby for that.
Rugby was held in Stade de France the first week of the Games, before track started. And the winner of each match rang the bell, including Ilona Maher (who now has 3 million Instagram followers) and the bronze medal-winning American women’s rugby sevens team.
Someone had the bright idea of keeping it around for track.
Voilà!
Marathoners in the U.S. have often enjoyed a “BQ bell” at races like the Twin Cities Marathon and the California International Marathon. Runners who run a Boston Marathon qualifying time get a celebratory ring of the thing. (Olympians, they’re just like us!)
Meanwhile, as the Games continue in Paris, let joy ring out at the track.
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