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Spiridon Louis and the Breal Cup On 10 April 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first ever marathon at an Olympic Games, ancient or modern. That that race happened at all 125 years ago owes everything to a Frenchman – and his name, surprisingly, was not De Coubertin. The legend of the messenger Pheidippides’ run in 490BC from Marathon to Athens to carry the news of the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon is about as epic as they come. “Hail, we won” were said to have been Pheidippides’ words, after which he dropped down dead with exhaustion. Yet that run, a...

Philip Barker: When the first Olympic Stadium came alive again Thursday, 8 April 2021 Just over a week ago, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach took part in a socially distanced ceremony to inaugurate the new lights at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Bach said "Greece gave birth to the Olympic Games twice, once in Ancient Olympia and once here in 1896". "Greeks gave to humanity the gift of the Olympic Games and also the gift of democracy," he added. "With the new lighting of the Panathenaic Stadium, this heritage will become even more brilliant and enlighten the en...

On this day in 1873, Olympic legend Spyridon Louis was born Search for: Spyridon Louis (Σπυρίδων Λούης) was born in the town of Marousi, north of Athens, on January 12, 1873. His father sold mineral water in Athens, at the time lacking a central water supply, and Spyridon helped him by transporting it. He was a ‘water carrier’. 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. The Greeks were ver...