A story that teeters on the brink of disbelief.
Robert Garrett, descendant of a prominent Baltimore family, was the 20-year-old captain of the track and field team at Princeton University when he was encouraged to participate in the revival of the Olympics by his professor. Until then discus throw had never been part of track & field in the US, and the size and weight of the discus were unknown in America.
In order to prepare for the event, Professor Sloane and Robert Garrett reached back into history by consulting 2nd-century Greek author Lucian’s works, and drawings on ancient Greek vases, to make an educated guess about the dimensions of the discus and how it was to be thrown.
A Princeton blacksmith was contracted to create the discus, and the result was a 12-inch disc that weighed an incredible 20 pounds. But Garrett abandoned the idea of entering the discus throw after trying multiple times and failing to launch the discus. Despite the seemingly impossible task he still practiced in hope it would become easier.
After almost missing the event due to the difference of calendar systems used, Garrett and his professor arrived just one day before the event. Still concerned about his lack of success with the training Garrett considered blacking out again before he was made a fool on a world stage. Garrett toured the Panathinaiko Stadium that afternoon and discovered a regulation discus that someone had left behind in the stands; it was actually only 8-inches wide and weighed less than five pounds. In the end, Garrett finished first in two events discuss and shot put.
Source: https://preservationmaryland.org/preservation-maryland-first-olympian/
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