A: Speed skater Irving Jaffee would have been the first American athlete to earn three gold medals at the Winter Olympics, except for one thing: heat. At the 1928 Games, Jaffee surprised the world when he defeated Norway’s Bernt Evensen in a preliminary round of the 10,000-meter speed skating event. In a bizarre turn of weather, warm temperatures in St. Moritz began to melt the ice late in the day, making it impossible for the 10,000-meter finals to be held. Jaffee had the fastest time in the early races, and many (including Evensen) expected him to be declared the winner, but the event’s judge (a Norwegian) refused to award any medals, a decision upheld by international officials. While Jaffee went on to win two gold medals four years later, the disputed third would have put him in a class by himself as the best speed skater of his era.