Spyridon Louis Greek athlete, Olympic marathon champion Date of Birth: 12.01.1873 Country: Greece

1. Biography of Spyridon Louis
2. Early Life and Background
3. The Revival of the Olympic Games
4. The Olympic Marathon
5. Triumph and National Heroism
6. Later Life

Biography of Spyridon Louis

Spyridon "Spiros" Louis was a Greek athlete and the Olympic champion in the marathon. He won the first modern Olympic marathon at the Summer Olympic Games in 1896, instantly becoming a national hero. His sporting career lasted only five days.

Early Life and Background

Spiros Louis was born on January 12, 1873, in Marousi, a suburb north of Athens, Greece, into a poor Albanian farmer's family. His father sold water in Athens when there were problems with the central water supply, and Spiros helped with transportation.

The Revival of the Olympic Games

In 1894, it was decided to revive the Olympic Games. The marathon race, which had not been practiced before, was included in the program. The idea came from Frenchman Michel Bréal, who was inspired by the story of the messenger Pheidippides, who ran without stopping from the city of Marathon to Athens to report the Athenian victory in the battle of Marathon. Greeks decided to hold qualifying races before the Olympics. Colonel Papadiamantopoulos was in charge of the marathon and persuaded Spiros to participate in the second group of runners.

The Olympic Marathon

Spiros finished only fifth, while the leader was Kharilaos Vasilakos. However, Spiros still received a ticket to the 1896 Olympics. Greek society was excited about the Games, but no Greek athlete won a laurel wreath in the track and field events, which was disappointing for the organizers. When the victory in the discus throw, where Greeks dominated, went to American Robert Garrett, the Greeks were shocked. The only hope left was that the fellow countrymen runners would not disappoint in the marathon.

On April 10, 1896, Papadiamantopoulos gave the starting signal for the 40 km race. At first, Frenchman Albin Lermusiaux, who finished third in the 1500 m final, led the race. In the town of Pikermi, Spiros, who was not among the top three runners at first, made a small stop at a local hotel to have a glass of wine. Later, his grandson "corrected" historians and claimed that his grandfather actually received half an orange from his girlfriend and then "a glass of brandy from his future father-in-law". Nonetheless, during his break, Louis found out about the race leaders and stated that he would definitely catch up with them by the end of the marathon.

Somewhere after the 32 km mark, Lermusiaux became exhausted and dropped out of the race. The Australian runner Edwin Flack, who had won the Olympic races in the 800 m and 1500 m, emerged as the new leader. Louis gradually caught up with Flack. It turned out that the Australians had almost no experience in long-distance races, and Flack collapsed a few kilometers before the finish.

Triumph and National Heroism

Tension filled the stadium as Greeks awaited news from the cyclist, who reported that Flack had dropped out of the race and Spiros was in the lead. The announcement ignited the thousands of enthusiastic spectators, who began shouting "Ellin, ellin!" ("Greek, Greek!"). Louis crossed the finish line first, showing a time of 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. On the last lap, two Greek princes, Crown Prince Constantine and Prince George, ran towards Spiros and reached the finish line with him. Spiros became a national Greek hero.

One of the stories claims that King George I promised to fulfill any wish of the winner. The modest Louis could not think of anything better than to ask for a carriage pulled by a donkey to lighten his water-carrying work. Spiros also received many other gifts, including jewelry and the opportunity to shave for free at a barbershop for the rest of his life.

Later Life

After the excitement subsided, Louis returned home and never competed again. He became a farmer for a while and then joined the local police force. In 1926, he was arrested on charges of falsifying military documents and even ended up in prison. He spent over a year behind bars before being declared innocent. Naturally, the case received widespread attention in the media.

Spyridon Louis died on March 26, 1940, a few months before the Italian invasion of Greece.