Norwegian speed skater Bernt Evensen had a record to set straight when he lined up in the 500m at St Moritz 1928. Four years earlier in Chamonix, Norway’s finest had to content themselves with the minor medals after seeing the USA’s Charles Jewtraw win gold in 500m, Finland’s Clas Thunberg do likewise in the 1,500m, 5,000m and all-round events and fellow Finn Julius Skutnabb take the 10,000m title.

American skater Irving Jaffee (1906 - 1981) (skating on the ice, second right) crossing the finish line during the second heat of the Men's 10,000-Metre Speed Skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, February 5, 1932. The second place finisher was Canadian Frank Stack (second left) and there was a tie for third between Norwegian Bernt Evensen (left) and American Ed Schroeder (right). Jaffee went on the win the gold in the final while Stack took the bronze. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

American skater Irving Jaffee (1906 - 1981) (skating on the ice, second right) crossing the finish line during the second heat of the Men's 10,000-Metre Speed Skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, February 5, 1932. The second place finisher was Canadian Frank Stack (second left) and there was a tie for third between Norwegian Bernt Evensen (left) and American Ed Schroeder (right). Jaffee went on the win the gold in the final while Stack took the bronze. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

Lake Placid 1932- Start of the 5000 m second heat, wonby EVENSEN Bernt (NOR).

Among the many highlights of PyeongChang 2018 was the heart-stopping conclusion to the two-man bobsleigh, which saw German duo Friedrich and Thorsten Margis and Canada’s Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz record identical times over the four runs (3 minutes, 16.86 seconds) to share top spot on the podium. In doing so they became only the ninth joint gold medallists in Olympic Winter Games history. We cast a glance back in time at the other occasions when the gold medals have been shared.

The podium has become an iconic Olympic image and a core part of every athlete’s vocabulary. However, contrary to common belief, its origins lie not in Ancient Greece, but at the Olympic Winter Games 1932 in Lake Placid…