Spiridon Luis

On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Luis won the gold medal in the marathon event of the first modern Olympic Games.

Born on Jan. 12, 1873, in Maros, near Athens, Greece, Spiridon Luis was a village mail carrier who trained himself to run his days on country roads. He was chosen to represent his country, Greece, in the first modern Olympic marathon held in his country. At the age of 24, he dreamed of one day becoming an Olympic marathon champion.

On the eve of the competition, he fasted and prayed; on the day of the official competition, he ate an entire chicken to replenish the physical energy he had consumed during the fasting. Later, he finally got his wish and became the first marathon champion of the Olympics.

After his epic victory, Louis quietly returned to Malos. He refused all free clothes, meals and haircuts, and never competed again. He continued to work as a rural mailman, living a poor life with his wife and children. In 1936, he participated in the Berlin Olympics as a guest and was 64 years old. He died four years later in 1940.

Spiridon Luis was awarded the title of Greek national hero. Humble Luis created a new Greek myth. His story made "go like Luis" a Greek idiom.

In order to commemorate the historical merits of Spiridon Luis, the Greek government buried him at the top of the stands of the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens after his death, in order to forever remember the national hero.

As time went by, the name Spiriton Louis almost became synonymous with marathon in Western texts, bringing eternal pride to Greece. In order to commemorate him, people carved the symbol of the Olympic rings on his tombstone to show respect. His legendary story remains alive today.