Spyridon Louis (1873-1940) was a Greek runner who won the winning medal in the first modern Olympic marathon in Athens in 1896, becoming a national hero in the process.
Louis’s background is in dispute, but he may have been a shepherd who served in the Greek Army. He was one of as many as 25 men who entered the marathon at the 1896 Games. About 20 miles into the race, he took the lead. He finished in 2 hours 58 min 50 sec, winning by more than seven minutes. As Louis entered the Panathenaic Stadium for his final lap, he was met by a thundering ovation; the Greek Prince George and Crown Prince Constantine joined Louis on the final lap.
Louis’s victory brought him immense popularity and he became a symbolic representative of the modern Olympics, offering Adolf Hitler an olive branch at the start of the 1936 Games in Berlin.
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