Who won the first gold medal ever awarded at the Winter Olympics?

Charles Jewtraw won the first gold medal ever awarded at the Winter Olympics.

Jewtraw earned the distinction by winning the men’s 500-meter speed-skating race at the inaugural Winter Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924. His victory came on January 26, the first day of competition, making him the first Olympic Winter Games champion and the first gold-medal winner in Winter Olympic history.

The 1924 event was originally called International Winter Sports Week; the International Olympic Committee later recognized it as the first Winter Olympics. Jewtraw’s winning time was 44.0 seconds, and he represented the United States. He also competed in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races but finished outside the medals in both.

A common mix-up is Thorleif Haug, the Norwegian skier who became the Games’ leading medalist, or Gillis Grafström, the figure-skating champion. They won notable early Winter Olympic golds, but Jewtraw’s 500-meter victory came first.