On April 6, 1896, a Harvard student overcame a ridiculous set of circumstances to become the first Modern Olympic champion.
James Connolly, a 27-year-old from Boston, won the triple jump on the first day of the 1896 Athens Games (the event was then called the hop, skip and jump).
He became the first Olympic champion since Varasdates of Armenia won a boxing event in 369, according to Olympedia and the OlyMADMen. Connolly did so after an 16-day, 16,000-mile journey.
He essentially walked out of Harvard, defying a dean’s advice that he might not be readmitted due to low academic standing.