The final of light heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling final went on for nine hours as neither Andres Ahlgren of Sweden or Ivar Bohling of Finland would sucumb to defeat. Finally the contest was stopped and declared a draw. Olympic officials decided that since there was no winner, both wrestlers would be awarded a second place finish and a silver medal. This was, however, not the longest bout of the Games. The middleweight semi-final was decided only after 10 hours and 15 minutes. The winner, Estonian Matin Klein, was too exhausted to compete in the final.

One of the most colorful competitors in Stockholm was Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku. A son of Hawaiian royalty, Kahanamoku was given his first name in tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh who had been visiting the Islands at the time of his birth. Kahanamoku proved himself worthy of his name by winning the 100m freestyle. He later became a famous surfer and Hawaiian legend. He once saved 12 people from drowning on his surfboard. He was appointed sheriff of Honolulu and official greeter of the city. 15,000 people attended his funeral in 1968.

One of the competitors in the modern pentathlon was a young American lieutenant. Finishing 21st in the shooting category he lost out on Olympic victory but he would find glory on the battlefield as a famous World War II general. The young lieutenant's name was George Patton. Patton was not a gracious loser. He claimed he lost out in the shooting category by shooting a bullet exactly in a previous bulls-eye.