ATHLETE

Spyridon Louis

1873 - 1940

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Spyridon Louis (Greek: Σπυρίδων Λούης [spiˈriðon ˈluis], sometimes transliterated Spiridon Loues; 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940), commonly known as Spyros Louis (Σπύρος Λούης), was a Greek water carrier who won the first modern-day Olympic marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Following his victory, he was celebrated as a national hero. 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. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Spyridon Louis is the 9th most popular athlete, the 167th most popular biography from Greece (down from 163rd in 2019) and the most popular Greek Athlete.

Spyridon Louis is most famous for being the first person to swim across the English Channel.

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Among ATHLETES

Among athletes, Spyridon Louis ranks 9 out of 6,025. Before him are Emil Zátopek, Paavo Nurmi, Abebe Bikila, Jesse Owens, Sigfrid Edström, and Florence Griffith Joyner. After him are Thomas Burke, Bob Beamon, Mara, Douglas, John Flanagan, and Ben Johnson.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1873, Spyridon Louis ranks 18. Before him are Alexis Carrel, Henri Barbusse, Otto Loewi, Luigi Lucheni, Alfred Jarry, and Karl Schwarzschild. After him are Antonie Pannekoek, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Julius Martov, Max Reger, Alexander Bogdanov, and G. E. Moore. Among people deceased in 1940, Spyridon Louis ranks 22. Before him are Manuel Azaña, John Buchan, Peter Behrens, Isaac Babel, Julius Wagner-Jauregg, and Wladimir Köppen. After him are Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Gerda Wegener, Jesse Livermore, Kyösti Kallio, Lluís Companys, and Eugène Dubois.

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In Greece

Among people born in Greece, Spyridon Louis ranks 167 out of 1,024. Before him are Cleon (-450), Lysander (-401), Andronicus of Rhodes (-100), Sophia Palaiologina (1455), Gülnuş Sultan (1642), and Hellanicus of Lesbos (-490). After him are Epimenides (-690), Speusippus (-407), Caranus of Macedon (-900), Aeschines (-389), Craterus (-370), and Longus (110).

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Among ATHLETES In Greece

Among athletes born in Greece, Spyridon Louis ranks 1. After him are Georgios Roubanis (1929), Leonidas of Rhodes (-200), Coroebus of Elis (-800), Theagenes of Thasos (-500), Alexandre Tuffère (1876), Stamata Revithi (1866), Dimitrios Golemis (1874), Evangelos Damaskos (1801), Konstantinos Tsiklitiras (1888), Sotirios Versis (1876), and Ioannis Theodoropoulos (1900).

Greek born Athletes

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