View source for Spyridon Louis

{{Short description|Greek amateur athlete (1873–1940)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = 
| image = Spyridon Louis 1896.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Louis in 1896
| nickname = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1873|1|12|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mallon|first1=Bill|last2=Heijmans|first2=Jeroen|title=Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]|date=2011|page=209|isbn=9780810875227|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9mM0XzW03AcC&pg=PA209}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Marousi]], [[Kingdom of Greece]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1940|3|26|1873|1|12|df=yes}}
| death_place = Marousi, Kingdom of Greece
| alma_mater = 
| height = 
| weight = 
| sport = Athletics
| event = [[Marathon]]
| club = 
| pb = 2:58:50 (1896)<ref name="Spyro Story" />
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry| {{flagIOC|GRE|1896 Summer}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896 Athens]] | [[Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|Marathon]]}}
| show-medals = yes
}}

'''Spyridon Louis''' ({{langx|el|Σπυρίδων Λούης}} {{IPA|el|spiˈriðon ˈluis|}}, sometimes transliterated ''Spiridon Loues'';<ref>{{cite journal|first1=James P.|last1= Verinis|title=Spiridon Loues, the Modern ''Foustanéla'', and the Symbolic Power of ''Pallikariá'' at the 1896 Olympic Games|journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies|volume=23|issue=1|date=May 2005|pages=139–175|doi=10.1353/mgs.2005.0010|s2cid= 146732138}}</ref> 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly known as '''Spyros Louis''' (Σπύρος Λούης), was a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[water carrier]] who won the first modern-day [[Marathons at the Olympics|Olympic marathon]] at the [[1896 Summer Olympics]]. Following his victory, he was celebrated as a national hero.<ref name="SportsReference">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/spyros-louis-1.html|title=Spyros Louis at the Olympics|website=Sports-Reference.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020515/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/spyros-louis-1.html|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref>

A former soldier, Louis was encouraged to try out for the Olympics by his former commanding officer. After progressing through qualifying, he went on to win the inaugural Olympic marathon after placing first among seventeen competitors.  Louis later became a police officer and a farmer. Outside of his athletics career, Louis was arrested for forgery, of which he was acquitted after spending a year in jail.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/70782 |title=Spyridon Louis |work=Olympedia |access-date=20 December 2020}}</ref>

==Early life==
Spyridon Louis was born in the town of [[Marousi]], north of [[Athens]], into a poor family.<ref>Frank Condron, I Olympiad : Athens 1896 (The Olympic Century Book 2), Warwick Press Inc., 2015, 166 p. {{ASIN|B0186J4U34}}</ref> Louis's father sold mineral water in Athens, which at the time lacked a central water supply, and Spyridon helped him by transporting it.<ref name="PappasPost">{{Cite news|url=http://www.pappaspost.com/spyridon-louis-presents-hitler-with-olive-tree-from-olympia/|title=On This Day August 1, 1936: Spyridon Louis Presents Hitler with Olive Tree from Olympia|last=Pappas|first=Gregory|date=1 August 2016|work=The Pappas Post|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107024237/http://www.pappaspost.com/spyridon-louis-presents-hitler-with-olive-tree-from-olympia/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Olympic preparation==
After [[Pierre de Coubertin]]'s decision in 1894 to revive the [[Olympic Games]], preparations were made to organise the first modern Olympics in Athens. One of the races would be the marathon, an event which had never been held before. It had been suggested by Frenchman [[Michel Bréal]], who was inspired by the legend of the messenger [[Pheidippides]], who had run from [[Marathon, Greece|Marathon]] to Athens to announce the Athenian victory in the [[Battle of Marathon]]—and then dropped dead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1896/ATH/mens-marathon.html|title=Athletics at the 1896 Athina Summer Games: Men's Marathon|website=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702165141/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1896/ATH/mens-marathon.html|archive-date=2 July 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref>

The Greeks were very enthusiastic about this new event and decided to hold qualifiers for the marathon. These races were started by Colonel Papadiamantopoulos, whom Louis previously served under in the military.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Jones |first1=Hugh |title=Spiridon Louis |url=http://aims-worldrunning.org/articles/750-spiridon-louis.html |magazine=Distance Running |access-date=28 September 2018 |date=23 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928083029/http://aims-worldrunning.org/articles/750-spiridon-louis.html |archive-date=28 September 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>  The first qualifying race—the first ever marathon race—was held on 22 March, and was won by [[Charilaos Vasilakos]] in 3 hours, 18 minutes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14847407/daily_sitka_sentinel/|title=Today's Sports|date=10 March 1994|work=Daily Sitka Sentinel|access-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014724/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14847407/daily_sitka_sentinel/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|pages=7}}</ref> Louis participated in the second qualifying race, two weeks later, and placed fifth.<ref name="Olympic.org" /> Papadiamantopoulos, who knew of Louis's talent in running, had convinced him to try out.<ref name="LondonMarathon">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZuKc4wUXGQC|title=The London Marathon|last=Bryant|first=John|date=15 December 2010|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-1-4464-1067-7|pages=28|language=en|access-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020309/https://books.google.at/books?id=UZuKc4wUXGQC|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Olympic marathon was run on 10 April (or 29 March by the [[Julian calendar]] then in use in Greece). The Greek public had been very enthusiastic about the Games, but were disappointed in the fact that no [[track and field]] event had yet been won by a Greek competitor.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qb125O62NVQC|title=The Olympic Marathon|last1=Martin|first1=David E.|last2=Gynn|first2=Roger W. H.|date=2000|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=978-0-88011-969-6|pages=12–19|language=en|access-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004226/https://books.google.at/books?id=Qb125O62NVQC|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The victory in the [[discus throw]], a classical Greek event, by the American [[Robert Garrett]] had been particularly painful. Because of its close connection with Greek history, the public yearned for the marathon to be won by one of their countrymen.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14847852/st_louis_postdispatch/|title=The Diskos Not So Hot.|date=11 July 1936|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|access-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030041/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14847852/st_louis_postdispatch/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|pages=11}}</ref>

==Marathon race==
In the marathon, Colonel Papadiamantopoulos gave the starting signal for the small field, consisting of seventeen athletes, thirteen of them representing Greece. The early leader of the race, which led over dusty dirt roads along which throngs of Greeks had gathered to watch, was the Frenchman [[Albin Lermusiaux]], who had placed third in the 1500 metres prior to the marathon.<ref name="SydneyBarry">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858014/the_sydney_morning_herald/|title=Berry's 50 Best|last=Berry|first=Kevin|date=21 December 1999|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107011736/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858014/the_sydney_morning_herald/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|pages=33}}</ref> In the town of [[Pikermi]], Louis is said to have made a stop at a local inn to drink a glass of wine. (Louis's grandson, also Spyridon Louis, has stated that this is incorrect; that his grandfather's girlfriend gave him half an [[Orange (fruit)|orange]] and shortly afterwards he "got a glass of cognac from his future father-in-law."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/a-marathon-legend-revisited|title=A Marathon legend revisited|date=27 August 2004|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010026/https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/a-marathon-legend-revisited|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref>) After asking for the advantage of the other runners, he confidently declared he would overtake them all before the end.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tnszj7AERkQC|title=Greece: The Peloponnese|last=Bostock|first=Andrew|date=May 2013|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-451-8|pages=199|language=en|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012646/https://books.google.at/books?id=tnszj7AERkQC|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

After 26&nbsp;km, Lermusiaux was exhausted and abandoned the race. The lead was taken over by [[Edwin Flack]], an Australian who won the 800 and 1500&nbsp;m races. Louis slowly closed in on Flack. The Australian, not used to running long distances, collapsed a few kilometers onwards, giving Louis the lead.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14538752/the_age/|title=The 'Lion of Athens' conquers Olympics|date=14 April 1896|work=The Age|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020191601/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14538752/the_age/|archive-date=20 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858088/south_florida_sun_sentinel/|title=Rejoice! 21st-century messenger lives to tell his tale|date=18 July 2004|work=South Florida Sun Sentinel|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010237/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858088/south_florida_sun_sentinel/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|pages=50}}</ref>

During the race, there was tension among the Greek spectators when Flack was in first place. However, when news was delivered to the fans that Louis overtook the lead, the cry "Hellene, Hellene!" was taken up by rapturous spectators.<ref name="SydneyBarry" /><ref name="Independent" />  Louis was greeted with cheers after entering the [[Panathenaic Stadium]] for the final part of the marathon. Louis ran with [[Constantine I of Greece|Crown Prince Constantine]] and [[Prince George of Greece]] during the last lap, finishing with a time of 2:58:50.<ref name="Spyro Story">{{cite news|title=In Greece, Everyone Has a Spyro Story|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14519234/the_los_angeles_times/|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=22 August 2004|page=103|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019221001/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14519234/the_los_angeles_times/|archive-date=19 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Independent">{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/the-original-marathon-man-50497.html|title=The original marathon man|date=7 August 2004|work=The Independent|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020191522/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/the-original-marathon-man-50497.html|archive-date=20 October 2017|url-status=live|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/sport/olympics/293850/The-marathon-hero-fuelled-by-wine-and-spirit|title=The marathon hero fuelled by wine and spirit|last=Miller|first=David|date=6 January 2012|publisher=Express Newspapers|access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref> Louis's victory set off wild celebrations, as described in the official report of the Games:

<blockquote>Here the Olympionic Victor was received with full honour; the [[George I of Greece|King]] rose from his seat and congratulated him most warmly on his success. Some of the King's aides-de-camp, and several members of the Committee went so far as to kiss and embrace the victor, who finally was carried in triumph to the retiring room under the vaulted entrance. The scene witnessed then inside the Stadion cannot be easily described, even strangers were carried away by the general enthusiasm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896.pdf|title=Official Report of the 1896 Olympics|last1=Lambros|first1=Spyridon|last2=Politers|first2=N. G.|access-date=5 July 2018|page=209|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527211831/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896.pdf|archive-date=27 May 2008|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref></blockquote>

Adding to the celebrations, two more Greek runners entered the stadium to finish in second and third place. Third place finisher [[Spyridon Belokas]] was later found to have covered part of the course by carriage and was disqualified; third place was awarded to the Hungarian [[Gyula Kellner]].<ref name="Olympics101">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858180/the_tampa_tribune/|title=Olympics 101|last=Fennelly|first=Martin|date=11 June 1992|work=The Tampa Tribune|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020919/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858180/the_tampa_tribune/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|pages=32}}</ref>

==After the Olympics==
After his victory, Louis received gifts from many countrymen, ranging from jewellery to a lifelong free shave at a barber shop. It is unknown whether he accepted all these gifts, although he did take back home the carriage he had asked of the king. After the Olympics, Louis ended his athletic career to become a farmer and a police officer.<ref name="Olympic.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/local-hero-louis-earns-cult-status-in-marathon|title=Local Hero Louis Earns Cult Status in Marathon|work=International Olympic Committee|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327043424/https://www.olympic.org/news/local-hero-louis-earns-cult-status-in-marathon|archive-date=27 March 2017|url-status=live|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Olympics101" />

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2003-1103-501, Berlin, Olympiade, Spyridon Louis, Kronprinz Paul (cropped).jpg|thumb|Spyridon Louis with Crown Prince (later king) [[Paul of Greece]] in [[Berlin]], during the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]]]
In 1926, Louis was arrested on charges of falsifying military documents and was imprisoned. After spending more than a year in jail, he was acquitted.<ref name="SportsReference" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Mallon|first1=Bill|last2=Heijamns|first2=Jeroen|title=Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement|page=209|edition=4th|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7522-7|date=11 August 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mM0XzW03AcC|access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref>

His last public appearance came in 1936, when he was invited to be a guest of honour by the organizers of the [[1936 Summer Olympics]], held in [[Berlin]]. After bearing the standard of the Greek team during the opening ceremonies, he was received by [[Adolf Hitler]] and offered him an olive branch from [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]], the birthplace of the Olympic Games, as a symbol of peace.<ref name="PappasPost" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858202/the_guardian/|title=Olympics Games Open To-Day: Athletes of 54 Nations to March Past Herr Hitler|date=31 July 1936|work=The Manchester Guardian|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14858202/the_guardian/|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|location=Berlin, Germany|pages=14}}</ref> Louis recalled the moments after his victory: "That hour was something unimaginable and it still appears to me in my memory like a dream … Twigs and flowers were raining down on me. Everybody was calling out my name and throwing their hats in the air ..."<ref name="Olympic.org" />

Several months before the [[Italian invasion of Greece]], Louis died.<ref name="LoveofRunning">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRokDwAAQBAJ|title=For the Love of Running: A Companion|last=Owen|first=Paul|date=11 May 2017|publisher=Summersdale Publishers Limited|isbn=978-1-78685-163-5|pages=1962|language=en|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021522/https://books.google.at/books?id=vRokDwAAQBAJ |archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In Greece, various sports establishments are named after him. These include the [[Olympic Stadium (Athens)|Olympic Stadium of Athens]] where the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] were held, as well as the road outside the stadium.<ref name="SportsReference" />

The [[Jayne Mansfield]] movie ''[[It Happened in Athens]]'' is a heavily fictionalized take on Louis and the marathon,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CEEDD173CEF3BBC4D52DFB7678389679EDE|title=Screen: Olympic Games:'It Happened in Athens' at Local Theaters|date=15 November 1962|website=www.nytimes.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020414/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CEEDD173CEF3BBC4D52DFB7678389679EDE|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref> and his story is featured in the 1984 TV miniseries ''[[The First Olympics: Athens 1896]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/20/arts/tv-view-squeezing-inspiration-from-the-1896-olympics.html |title=Squeezing Inspiration from the 1896 Olympics |first=John J. |last=O'Connor |author-link=John J. O'Connor (journalist) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 May 1984 |access-date=23 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524005936/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/20/arts/tv-view-squeezing-inspiration-from-the-1896-olympics.html |archive-date=24 May 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The expression 'to become Louis' ({{langx |el|text=γίνομαι Λούης |translit=yinomai Louis}}) is used in Greece as a metaphor meaning "tο disappear by running fast".<ref name="LoveofRunning" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Έγινε Λούης |url=http://www.johnpap.net/not-el/graFraseis/EgineLoyhs.htm |website=Αξιοσημείωτα |access-date=10 December 2018 |language=el}}</ref>

==Breal's Silver Cup==
The [[Breal's Silver Cup|silver cup given to Louis]] at the first modern Olympic Games staged in Athens in 1896, was sold for £541,250 ($860,000) in London during a [[Christie's]] auction on 18 April 2012. The trophy, with a height of six inches, broke the auction record for Olympic memorabilia. The item was sold on the day Britain marked the 100 days' countdown to the 2012 London Olympics. Christie's called the auction "heated" and involved six bidders. The auctioneer later confirmed the buyer was the [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation]].<ref>Collett, Mike. (18 April 2012) [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-auction-idUSBRE83H0T320120418 "Marathon cup from 1896 sets Olympics auction record"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924163529/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/18/us-olympics-auction-idUSBRE83H0T320120418 |date=24 September 2015 }}. ''Reuters''. Retrieved on 20 August 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17758160|title=Olympic cup raises record amount|last=Minard|first=Jenny|date=18 April 2012|publisher=BBC News|access-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527173159/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17758160|archive-date=27 May 2017|url-status=live|language=en-GB}}</ref>

The cup is displayed at the [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center]], a project of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, fulfilling the commitment of the foundation to make it available to the public and to share it with everyone, upon the project's completion. During the development of the project, the cup was temporarily displayed at the [[Acropolis Museum]] of Athens and the [[Olympic Museum]] in Lausanne, during a period that coincided with the [[Lausanne Marathon|International Marathon of Lausanne]].<ref>Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center web site [https://www.snfcc.org/visitors-center/events/2016/08/spyros-louis%E2%80%99-br%C3%A9al-cup/ "Spyros Louis' Breal Cup"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025115/https://www.snfcc.org/visitors-center/events/2016/08/spyros-louis%E2%80%99-br%C3%A9al-cup/ |date=7 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/19/world/europe/olympic-breal-cup-auction/index.html|title=Iconic Olympic cup returns home to Greece for record price at auction|last=Glass|first=Nick|date=19 April 2012|work=CNN|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025506/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/19/world/europe/olympic-breal-cup-auction/index.html|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite news|title=Modern Olympics Giants Returns to Its Humbling Roots|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14519316/the_signal/|newspaper=The Santa Clarita Valley Signal|last=Murphy|first=Brian|page=10|via = Newspapers.com|date=8 August 2004|access-date=19 October 2017}} {{free access}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{sports links}}
* {{HOC profile|louis-spyridon}}
* [https://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2010/03/story-of-marathon.html  The Story of the Marathon]

{{Footer Olympic Champions Marathon Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis, Spyridon}}
[[Category:1873 births]]
[[Category:1940 deaths]]
[[Category:Athletes from Athens]]
[[Category:Greek men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Greek men marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Greece]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1896 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:19th-century Greek sportsmen]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Greece]]
[[Category:People acquitted of crimes]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Greek prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:19th-century Greek military personnel]]
[[Category:Greek police officers]]
[[Category:Greek soldiers]]