Bob Mathias of the United States won the gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1948 Summer Olympics at age 17.
NOT BSTOTAL BS
NOT BS — Verdict: True
Verified by Lenz ·
The Short Version
Authoritative Olympic, athletics, and reference sources consistently confirm that Bob Mathias of the United States won the men's decathlon gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics. His birth date was November 17, 1930, so he was 17 years old during the August 1948 competition. The age objection depends on nonstandard wording, not a factual error.
Caveats
Age in this claim is stated by the normal convention of completed years; 'in his 18th year' does not mean 18 years old.
The claim is specifically about the men's decathlon at the 1948 Summer Olympics, not Bob Mathias's later 1952 title or broader records.
Lower-authority secondary sources are unnecessary here because official and established reference sources already independently confirm the facts.