‘Like a Fairy Tale’, a ‘Poor Boy’ Created History by Winning the First Ever Gold Medal at Winter Olympics in 1924

The year 1924 in France was iconic for more than one reason. Before Paris hosted the Summer Olympics, Chamonix, France became the birthplace of the Winter Olympics earlier that year. A total of 258 athletes from 16 nations took part, but one American held the distinction of being the tournament’s first-ever gold medalist. A speed skater from New York, his road to Chamonix and then to gold was filled with adversities and wasn’t an easy one.

16 events were spread across 6 sports and 9 disciplines in the tournament. And the first-ever gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics came in the 500-meter speed skating. Charles Jewtraw won the gold medal against all expectations and odds.

Charles Jewtraw didn’t even want to participate

In 1983, at age 83, Charles Jewtraw spoke to Swimsuit Illustrated magazine, “It was like a fairy tale. I was a poor boy from Lake Placid. I’d been national champion, but I’d retired from skating. I wanted to move on”. Jewtraw recalled how he had no interest in pursuing speed skating anymore all the way up to Chamonix, France.

He continued, “Then I got a telegram saying we would send an Olympic team to France. I hadn’t trained at all. I didn’t want to go. My tutor convinced me I should. I was so sick crossing the ocean that I kept praying the ship would sink. I wasn’t even nervous the day of the race. Why would I be? I knew I couldn’t win”. Such was his disdain that he had extreme morbid thoughts. But he went anyways and created history on 26th January 1924.

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The tournament wasn’t called Winter Olympics yet. That wouldn’t be until the 1925 Prague Conference. But at 10 am on 26th January 1924, Chamonix was ready for what would be the first ever set of games played in the Winter Olympics.

Against all odds, Jewtraw won

500-meter Speed skating was the first event to be organized, and the speed rink was built on the banks of the river Arve. Jewtraw had never raced such a long distance of 500 meters before, and neither did compete in pairs, as is the case in Winter Olympics. But instead, he raced in a pack of five or six competitors. As per Olympics.com, 31 competitors from 13 countries were involved in the race. Jewtraw beat the big favorites like Roald Larsen, Oskar Olsen, and Swede Clas Thunberg of Norway to emerge victorious rather flawlessly.

This marked the beginning of the medal-winning in the tournament and America will forever be the first nation to reach there. Jewtraw finished the race in a record 44 seconds. While Jewtraw win the first title for the US at the Winter Olympics, Shaun White won the 100th in the snowboard halfpipe event. White even talked about losing his Olympic gold medal more than once.

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Jewtraw passed away at the age of 96 in Palm Beach, Florida. He died in 1996 on 26th January, the same date he won the first-ever gold medal. In a special way, life came full circle for him.