ST. LOUIS (1904)

If Paris was bad, the next Games were awful. Once again they were staged in the shadow of another event.

If Paris was bad, the next Games were awful. Once again they were staged in the shadow of another event, this time the World's Fair in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase.

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Most European countries and even Coubertin did not turn up to an event unsurprisingly dominated by the Americans during a Games which stretched out over 4-1/2 months.

Archie Hahn, "The Milwaukee Meteor," won gold in the 60, 100 and 200 metres dashes and gymnast George Eyser won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood.

The marathon was again controversial with Thomas Hicks getting the gold medal when it was discovered that his American team mate Fred Lorz had covered most of the distance in a car.

The most distasteful aspect of the Games was "Anthropology Days," where representatives of the so-called "uncivilised tribes," including pygmies and Sioux, competed against each other in mud-fighting and a tug-of-war.