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Which medals were awarded to the winners of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896?
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Pierre and Marie Curie depicted on the obverse of a medal from the Unio Internationalis Contra Cancrum (International Union Against Cancer) commemorating the Curies' discovery of radium in 1898.
At the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, the awarding of prizes differed significantly from the current gold, silver, and bronze tradition. Winners did not receive gold medals; instead, the first-place finisher was awarded a silver medal, while the second-place finisher received a copper medal. Athletes who finished in third place did not receive a medal at all.1