Spiridon "Spiros" Louis (January 12, 1873 – March 26, 1940) was a Greek water-carrier who won the marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming a national hero.
Louis in traditional dress
Louis was born in the town of Amarousi, which is now a suburb of Athens, into a poor farmer's family. His name is transcribed from the Greek in various ways; his given name is also seen as Spyridon (Spyros) and his family name as Loues. Louis's father sold mineral water in Athens, and his son helped him by transporting it.
After the rebirth of the Olympic Games in 1894, preparations were made to organise the first modern Olympics in Athens. One of the events on the programme would be the marathon, an event which had never been held before. It had been suggested by Frenchman Michel Bréal, who had based his idea on the legend of the Greek soldier Phidippides, who had run from the town of Marathon to Athens (or, in some versions, Sparta) to announce the Greek victory in the Battle of Marathon.
The Greeks were very enthusiastic about this new event, and decided to stage qualifying races for the Greek participants. These were organised by an army colonel, Papadiamantopoulos, who had been Louis' commanding officer during the his military service (1893-1895). The first qualifying race – the first ever marathon race – was held on March 22, and was won by Kharilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours, 18 minutes. Louis participated in the second qualifying race, two weeks later. Papadiamantopoulos, who knew Louis's running talents, had convinced him to particpate, and Louis crossed the line as fifth, behind winner Dimitrios Deligiannis.
On April 10 (or March 29 by the Julian Calendar, then in use in Greece), the Olympic marathon was scheduled. The Greek public had been very enthusiastic about the Games, but was disappointed in the fact that no track and field event had yet been won by a Greek competitor. 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 desperately hoped the marathon would be won by one of their countryman.
In Marathon, Colonel Papadiamantopoulos gave the starting signal for the small field of runners, consisting of thirteen Greeks and four foreigners. The early leader of the race, which led over dusty roads along which a lot of Greeks had gathered to watch, was the Frenchman Albin Lermusiaux , who had earlier placed third in the final of the 1500 m. In the town of Pikermi , Louis made a stop in a local inn to drink a glass of wine. After asking for the advantage of the other runners, he confidently declared he would overtake them all before the end.
After 32 km, Lermusiaux was exhausted, and had to abandon the race after a collapse. The lead was taken over by Teddy Flack, an Australian runner who had already been victorious in the Olympic 800 and 1500 m. Louis slowly closed in on Flack. The Australian, not used to running long distances, collapsed a few kilometers onwards, giving the lead to Louis.
Meanwhile, in the stadium, the atmosphere was tense, especially after a cyclist brought the news that foreigner Flack was in the lead. But another messenger was sent out by the police as soon as Louis moved into the lead, and his message was met ecstatically by the crowd in the stadium. When Louis finally arrived in the stadium, he was met by two Greek princes – Crown Prince Constantine and Prince George – who accompanied him on his final lap for a finishing time of 2:58:50, fueled along the way only by wine, milk, beer, an Easter egg, and some orange juice. Louis's victory then set off wild celebrations, as described in the official report of the Games:
- "Here the Olympic Victor was received with full honour; the 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."
Adding to the celebrations, two more Greek runners entered the stadium to finish in second and third. Third place finisher Spiridon Belokas was later found to have covered part of the course by carriage, and was disqualified, and his place was taken by the Hungarian Gyula Kellner.
After his victory, Louis received gifts from many countrymen, ranging from jewelry to a life-long free shave at the barber shop. It is unknown if Louis took all these gifts, although he did take back home a new carriage to help him in his water-carrying business. He retreated to his hometown, never again competing in running. He lived a quiet live, working as a farmer, and later as a local police officer.
In 1926, Louis was arrested on charges of falsifying military documents and was imprisoned. After spending more than a year in jail, he was found not guilty, and acquitted. Prior to his release, some journalists had written that it was disgrace that a national hero, who "would never do such low things", was imprisoned, thereby illustrating Louis's long-lasting fame.
His last public appearance came in 1936, when he was invited as 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, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, as a symbol of peace.
A few weeks before the German invasion of Greece, Louis passed away in his native Amarousi. Many sports clubs in Greece and abroad still carry his name, as does the main stadium at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, where the 2004 Summer Olympics were held.
External links
- A contemporary account of the marathon race http://www.forthnet.gr/olympics/athens1896/games/mar29.html#e
- Official Report of the 1896 Olympics (10 MB, PDF) http://www.aafla.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896.pdf
Last updated: 02-10-2005 15:33:40
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55
