Of all the Olympic sports, steeplechase just might be the weirdest. And yes, we include trampoline. Because as silly as trampoline is, it didn't evolve from a sport for horses. (Although, as a brief aside, picturing a horse on a trampoline... Never mind. We're here to talk about steeplechase!)

For the uninitiated, steeplechase involves running around the track, jumping over hurdles that are followed by water. This leads to potential hilarity (for cruel viewers) and to wet shorts (for the runners, not the horses). And it keeps going for three long, wet kilometers.

In any case, steeplechase today is dominated by Kenyans (perhaps there are a lot of water obstacles around Nairobi?), but back in the day, it was all about the Finns. From 1924 to 1936, Finland won four straight gold medals. They swept the podium in 1928, but our attention is turned to 1924, where they got the gold and silver, the latter going to Elias Katz, Jew.

Katz actually got a gold that year as well, as part of the Finland team that won the 3000 meter team race. Now that event makes sense, but 1924 was the last time it was held at the Olympics.

And yet steeplechase remains...