Ferdinand Reinhardt BIE

Ferdinand Bie finished second behind Jim Thorpe in the pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics, but in early 1913 it was announced that Thorpe had played minor league baseball in North Carolina in 1909 and 1910. The United States AAU reacted quickly and declared Thorpe a professional, with the IOC following suit and awarded the pentathlon gold medal to Bie. Bie never accepted the medal and in 1982, when the International Olympic Committee made partial restitution by restoring Thorpe’s amateur status, he and Thorpe were listed as co-champions. Bie was the Norwegian champion in long jump in 1910 and 1917, in the 110 m hurdles in 1910, and in decathlon in 1911. During the 1912 Olympic Games, Bie was a medical student and, after receiving a medical degree, operated his own clinic in Kristiansand.

Personal Bests: 110H – 15.8 (1912); LJ – 6.89 (1912); Pen – 3047 (1912); Dec – 5132 (1912).