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16th Aug 2016

Here’s why Olympians bite their medals in photos

Biting commentary.

Megan Roantree

It’s not because they’re hungry.

Imagine, after all the hard work and dedication, you reach your dream of receiving a medal. So naturally the only thing left to do is put it in your mouth.

While we never quite understood why this was a trend, it’s hard not to notice that everyone is doing it.

While some might think it’s because they are tasting their success and others might assume its to see if the medal is real, it is actually because the of the photographers, according to CNN.

It seems that photographers want a quick and easy shot that shows the medal in an iconic way, though some people might feel that it’s a little outdated by now.

“It’s become an obsession with the photographers,” David Wallechinsky, co-author of The Complete Book of the Olympics told CNN.

 “I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don’t think it’s something the athletes would probably do on their own.”

during the Women's Road Race on Day 2 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Fort Copacabana on August 7, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The trend isn’t confined to Olympians though, as you will often see tennis stars, footballers and marathon runners do the same, though probably not because a photographer is forcing them too.

They most likely do it to mimic the inspirational athletes of the Olympics, who don’t even chose to do it in the first place.

Maybe it’s time the Olympic photographers come up with a new pose for the athletes and their medals to shake things up a bit.

We suggest maybe just holding them. But we’re no experts.