Editing Jim Thorpe (section)

=== Olympic career ===
For the [[1912 Summer Olympics]] in Stockholm, Sweden, two new multi-event disciplines were included, the [[pentathlon]] and the [[decathlon]].{{Sfn|Buford|2012|p=112}} A pentathlon, based on the ancient Greek event, had been introduced at the [[1906 Intercalated Games]].{{Sfn|Zarnowski|2013|p=150}} The 1912 version consisted of the [[long jump]], [[javelin throw]], 200-meter dash, [[discus throw]], and 1500-meter run.{{Sfn|Buford|2012|p=112}}

The decathlon was a relatively new event in modern athletics, although a similar competition known as the all-around championship had been part of American track meets since the 1880s. A [[Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – Men's all-around|men's version]] had been featured on the program of the [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904 St.&nbsp;Louis Olympics]]. The events of the new decathlon differed slightly from the American version.{{Sfn|Zarnowski|2005|pp=29–30, 240}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Athletics at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Games: Men's All-Around Championship |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1904/ATH/mens-all-around-championship.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171728/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1904/ATH/mens-all-around-championship.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=January 25, 2018 |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref>

Thorpe was so versatile that he served as Carlisle's one-man team in several track meets.<ref name="NYTobit" /> According to his obituary in ''[[The New York Times]]'', he could run the 100-yard dash in 10&nbsp;seconds flat; the 220 in 21.8&nbsp;seconds; the 440 in 51.8&nbsp;seconds; the 880 in 1:57, the mile in 4:35; the 120-yard high hurdles in 15&nbsp;seconds; and the 220-yard low hurdles in 24&nbsp;seconds.<ref name="NYTobit">{{Cite news |date=March 29, 1953 |title=Jim Thorpe is Dead on West Coast at 64 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/03/29/archives/jim-thorpe-is-dead-on-west-coast-at-64-jim-thorpe-dead-on-the-coast.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701182600/https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0528.html |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |access-date=December 7, 2020 |work=The New York Times |page=A1}}</ref> He could long jump 23&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in and high-jump 6&nbsp;ft 5&nbsp;in.<ref name="NYTobit" /> He could [[pole vault]] 11&nbsp;feet; [[shot put|put the shot]] 47&nbsp;ft 9&nbsp;in; [[javelin throw|throw the javelin]] 163&nbsp;feet; and throw the [[discus throw|discus]] 136&nbsp;feet.<ref name="NYTobit" />

Thorpe entered the U.S.&nbsp;Olympic trials for both the pentathlon and the decathlon. He easily earned a place on the pentathlon team, winning three events. The decathlon trial was subsequently cancelled, and Thorpe was chosen to represent the U.S. in the event.{{Sfn|Buford|2012|p=114}} The pentathlon and decathlon teams also included [[Avery Brundage]], a future [[International Olympic Committee]] president.{{Sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|pp=473–474}}

Thorpe was extremely busy in the Olympics. Along with the decathlon and pentathlon, he competed in the long jump and high jump.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79125 |access-date=April 25, 2021 |website=Olympedia}}</ref> The first competition was the pentathlon on July 7.<ref name="sr" /> He won four of the five events and placed third in the javelin,{{Sfn|Buford|2012|pp=127–128}} an event he had not competed in before 1912.<ref name="recognized">{{Cite magazine |last=Jenkins |first=Sally |date=July 2012 |title=Why Are Jim Thorpe's Olympic Records Still Not Recognized? |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-are-jim-thorpes-olympic-records-still-not-recognized-130986336/?page=4&no-ist |access-date=August 15, 2016 |magazine=Smithsonian}}</ref> Although the pentathlon was primarily decided on place points, points were also earned for the marks achieved in the individual events. Thorpe won the gold medal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Pentathlon |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ATH/mens-pentathlon.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175029/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ATH/mens-pentathlon.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=June 30, 2018 |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref> That same day, he qualified for the high jump final, in which he finished in a tie for fourth. On July 12, Thorpe placed seventh in the long jump.<ref name="sr" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's High Jump Qualifying Round |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ATH/mens-high-jump-qualifying-round.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417065811/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ATH/mens-high-jump-qualifying-round.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=June 30, 2018 |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref>

Thorpe's final event was the decathlon, his first (and as it turned out, his only) decathlon.<ref name="sr">{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/jim-thorpe-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175027/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/jim-thorpe-1.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=January 21, 2018 |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Thorpe |url=https://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=170 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122071842/https://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=170 |archive-date=January 22, 2018 |access-date=January 21, 2018 |publisher=National Track and Field Hall of Fame}}</ref> Strong competition from local favorite [[Hugo Wieslander]] was expected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hugo Wieslander |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/hugo-wieslander-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175426/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/hugo-wieslander-1.html |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=June 29, 2019 |publisher=Sports Reference}}</ref> Thorpe, however, defeated Wieslander by 688 points.{{Sfn|Buford|2012|p=130}} He placed in the top four in all ten events, and his Olympic record of 8,413 points stood for nearly two decades.<ref name="bookrag" /> Even more remarkably, because someone had stolen his shoes just before he was due to compete, he found a mismatched pair of replacements, including one from a trash can, and won the gold medal wearing them.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tucker |first=Neely |date=March 15, 2012 |title=Battle over athlete Jim Thorpe's burial site continues |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/battle-over-athlete-jim-thorpes-burial-site-continues/2012/02/21/gIQAn5DLES_story.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>{{Sfn|Dodge|2013|p=145}} Overall, Thorpe won eight of the 15 individual events comprising the pentathlon and decathlon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Sally |date=August 10, 2012 |title=Greatest Olympic athlete? Jim Thorpe, not Usain Bolt |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/greatest-olympic-athlete-jim-thorpe-not-usain-bolt/2012/08/10/f9114872-e33c-11e1-ae7f-d2a13e249eb2_story.html |access-date=June 7, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

As was the custom of the day, the medals were presented to the athletes during the closing ceremonies of the games. Along with the two gold medals, Thorpe also received two challenge prizes, which had been donated by King [[Gustaf V|Gustav&nbsp;V of Sweden]] for the decathlon and Czar [[Nicholas&nbsp;II of Russia]] for the pentathlon. Several sources recount that, when awarding Thorpe his prize, King Gustav said, "You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world", to which Thorpe replied, "Thanks, King".<ref name="Flatter">{{Cite web |last=Flatter |first=Ron |title=ESPN.com: Thorpe preceded Deion, Bo |url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016499.html |access-date=September 8, 2024 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bernotas |first1=Bob |title=Jim Thorpe: Sac and Fox athlete |last2=Baird |first2=W. David |date=1992 |publisher=Chelsea House |isbn=978-0-7910-1722-7 |series=North American Indians of achievement |location=New York}}</ref> While the compliment from King Gustav is confirmed in the September 1912 publication of ''The Red Man'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Red Man (Vol. 5, No. 1) {{!}} Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center |url=https://carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/publications/red-man-vol-5-no-1 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=carlisleindian.dickinson.edu}}</ref> Thorpe biographer Kate Buford suggests that Thorpe's remark was embellished, as she believes that such a response "would have been out of character for a man who was highly uncomfortable in public ceremonies and hated to stand out."{{Sfn|Buford|2012|p=131}} The quoted reply did not appear in newspapers until 1948–36&nbsp;years after his appearance in the Olympics–<ref>e.g.,&nbsp;"Sports in Brief", ''Amarillo (TX) Daily News'', Saturday, March 13, 1948, p. 2 (available at newspaperarchive.com).</ref>and surfaced in books by 1952.<ref>John Durant and Otto Bettmann, ''Pictorial History of American Sports, from Colonial Times to the Present'' (A. S. Barnes, 1952) p. 143.</ref>

Thorpe's successes were followed in the United States. On the Olympic team's return, Thorpe was the star attraction in a [[ticker-tape parade]] on [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]].<ref name="Flatter" /> He remembered later, "I heard people yelling my name, and I couldn't realize how one fellow could have so many friends."<ref name="Flatter" />

Apart from his track and field appearances, Thorpe also played in one of two exhibition [[Baseball at the 1912 Summer Olympics|baseball games at the 1912&nbsp;Olympics]], which featured two teams composed mostly of U.S.&nbsp;track and field athletes.{{Sfn|Cava|1992|pp=8–9}} Thorpe had previous experience in the sport, as the public soon learned.{{Sfn|Buford|2012|pp=158–161}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Photograph of Jim Thorpe with Admirers - NARA - 595392.tif|alt=Refer to caption|Thorpe shaking hands with [[Moses Friedman]] while [[Pop Warner|Glenn "Pop" Warner]] (left), [[Lewis Tewanima]] (center), and a crowd look on
File:Jim Thorpe.jpg|upright|alt=Refer to caption|Thorpe in [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] uniform, c.&nbsp;1909
File:Photograph of Jim Thorpe - NARA - 595347.jpg|upright|alt=Thorpe crouching and looking to the right|Thorpe, {{circa|1910}}
File:Jim Thorpe, 1912 Summer Olympics.jpg|upright|alt=Thorpe standing, wearing a United States Olympic jersey|Thorpe at the [[1912 Summer Olympics]]
</gallery>