History of running medals — since the times of olive branches to these of gold, silver and bronze
The history of running events is a part and parcel of the genesis of ancient Olympic games, during which a 180 m sprint (this distance was then referred to as ′stadion′) was the most important competition. However, it was no sooner than during the first modern Games in Athens (1896) that medals were awarded to the winner (who received a silver medal) and the runner up (who received a bronze trophy).
During the third Olympic Games (St. Louis, 1904), the three categories of medals: gold, silver and bronze were introduced, whereas it was during the Games in Rome (1960) that medals were hanged on the winners′ necks for the first time ever.