My all-time favourite Olympian: Margaret Abbott, an American studying with Degas & Rodin in Paris who entered a golf tournament in 1900 without realising it was part of the Olympics. She became America's 1st female gold medallist; but died (in 1955) without ever realising it.
Another Olympics hero: Félix Carvajal, a Cuban postman who - after losing all his money at dice - ran the 1904 marathon in his shirt, beret & walking shoes. A fellow competitor took scissors to his long trousers. Despite stopping mid-race to eat & chat to spectators, he came 4th.
Also competing in the 1904 marathon was Len Tau, a member of the Tsuana tribe from South Africa. He came 9th, but then had to run an additional mile to escape an angry dog. #Olympics
The 1st athlete to cross the finish line in the 1904 marathon was disqualified when it turned out he’d gone part of the way on the back of a truck. The ultimate gold medalist won despite his coach having dosed him with an elite sports drink of egg whites, alcohol & strychnine.
I do feel the Olympics today are poorer for the lack of medal winning gymnasts with wooden legs.

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More from @holland_tom

25 Jul
To Margate!
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Well, I enjoyed my FOUR & A HALF HOUR drive to Margate (which I have never visited, & am very excited finally to be in!)
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24 Jul
Walking across London, playing the music from 28 Days Later, & you know, it’s just not the same…
Was it really only a year ago?
The blood is returning to the limbs of this great, inexhaustible, beloved city #London
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20 Jul
MASSIVE SPORT, as the late arrival of the @AuthorsCC batting order means that I have to go in at number FOUR!!!
Damn. Everyone’s arrived.
The ball is short, I eye it up like a hungry allosaur spotting a baby sauropod, I get in perfect position, crash it hard, the ball screams towards the boundary - & then, from nowhere, possibly the greatest catch of the century so far SAWS ME OFF.
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20 Jul
Part 2 of our exciting @TheRestHistory trilogy on the statues of central London.

Today it's Whitehall: useless/oddball generals, memorials, a couple of writers, & an Icenian queen.

Who, where, why?

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/77-…

open.spotify.com/episode/60QXKn…

play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-… ImageImageImageImage
Featured in the episode: Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge; Spencer Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire; Earl Haig; Field Marshals Slim, Alanbrooke & Montgomery; the Monument to the Women of World War II; the Cenotaph; Boudicca; Chaucer; & Dickens.

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And if you missed the thrills and spills of Part 1, here it is - Trafalgar Square!
Read 4 tweets
13 Jul
In aid of my benefit year I will be playing one match in the morning, one in the afternoon. For those not familiar with cricket, this is like playing extra time in a Euros final, ONLY TOUGHER.

So if you’re impressed, please please do donate!

Thank you!
It’s not called the Honourable Artillery Company for nothing. Absolutely amazing there’s a cricket ground in the heart of the City!
At the Honourable Artillery Ground, where once London’s archers honed their skills, @Rathbones1742 have made 122 off their 20 overs. In the first of the two matches I am playing today, I bowl 4 tight overs, showcasing my control of swing and cut.
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12 Jul
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“Who else but Bruno Dumont to take us on a musical journey thru the religious awakening of Joan of Arc? Developing his own style of electro-rock opera, the French auteur delivers a cinematic feast that, in its stylistic exuberance, forges a unique path to spiritual profundity.”
It’s certainly the best French rock opera about a 15th century saint that I’ve seen, & I don’t mind saying it. Image
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