Pictured above is William E. Dickey, the winner of the 1904 Olympics in the swimming event known as the plunge for distance. He doesn't look like a typical Olympic athlete because the plunge for distance was not a typical Olympic event. In fact, it was called the most boring sport of all time. The 1904 games were the only Olympics that the sport appeared in, and the only competitors were five Americans. But it was part of the competitive swimming scene in the US for decades.
The plunge for distance was a kind of competitive floating, to see how far an athlete could drift without any exertion after diving into a body of water. This particular act was made easier by extra body weight, as fat makes one more buoyant. It was taken seriously by those who competed, but for spectators, it was exceedingly dull, and the sport died out in the 1920s. Frank Parrington holds the world record in the plunge for distance at 86 feet 8 inches, a record that will stand forever. BBC Future talked to Parrington's grandson, Dave Parrington, head diving coach at the University of Tennessee, about the erstwhile sport of the plunge for distance. -via Damn Interesting
(Image source: Missouri History Museum)
