Behind the medals: then and now; When the goal is gold, the more things change, the more they stay the same

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, August, 2004 by Gwen Kilvert

bLACK-AND-WHITE FOOTAGE OF Olympians from the early part of the 20th century looks so, well, old. Although the pursuit--namely, to win a gold medal--hasn't changed in 100 years, we were sure that everything else, from uniforms to training techniques, had. So we contrasted the training and competitive experiences of a veteran Olympian with her contemporary counterpart headed to Athens this summer.

While there are definitely some differences--shoes, for one--and more than a few surprises (pseudohermaphrodites, anyone?), it turns out that some things, like the proven success of years of training, never change.