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Episode details

World Service,10 mins

Jim Thorpe: Native American legend

Sporting Witness

Available for over a year

In 1912, the Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe, stunned the world by winning both the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics. Less than a year later, Thorpe was stripped of the medals in controversial circumstances. After struggling to make a living as a Hollywood extra, he ended up dying in poverty in a trailer park. Richard Fleming tells Jim Thorpe's incredible story, with contributions from his biographer, Kate Buford. PHOTO: Jim Thorpe, the track athelete. Courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society.

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