Modern Greece was formed after the Greek War of Independence (1821 – 1830), but freedom was not easy. Political and economic instability became part of everyday life. Forming a national identity was even more difficult. (Verinis, 2005, p. 142 – 150)

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. The Greek people were excited for the games to be held in their “new” country. Qualifying races for the aspiring Greek athletes were held before the games, including two qualifying races for the world’s first marathon.

285 athletes from 12 nations compete

The Greek people were disappointed that none of their compatriots had won the track and field events. Many of the events had been won by Americans and the Greek people had come to expect defeat or second or third place in all competitions. However, they did not give up. They still expected the marathon to be won by a Greek. (Holmes, 1984, pp. 62-67)

The marathon was held on April 10. Crowds lined the route from Athens to the Marathon to watch thirteen athletes race the dusty roads.

Albin Lermusiaux of France was the early leader, but he collapsed after running 32 kilometers and retired from the race.

Australian Edwin Flack took the lead. A cyclist entered the arena in Athens to announce to the crowd that an Australian was in the lead. The voltage filled the stadium.

But Spiridon Loues from Maroussi, Greece came up to him.

When Edwin Flack collapsed, Loues took the lead. A second messenger followed the first and announced to everyone in the stadium and to those watching on the surrounding slopes that twenty-five-year-old Loues was the leader.

The crowd began to shout: “He’s a Greek!” (Verinis, 2005, p. 161)

As Loues entered the stadium, Crown Princes Constantine and George greeted him at the gate and escorted him on his last tour of the stadium. Loues finished in 2:58:50. It was rumored that he was so fast that he could stop on the way to receive offerings of food and drink! (http://www.takethemagicstep.com/coaching/athletes/sports-stories/spiridon-louis-grandson-talks-about-his-grandfather/)

The crowd erupted in enthusiasm. Finally, a Greek had won first place! White doves were released and the Greek spectators embraced each other, singing the Greek National Anthem.

Greeks, including Greeks from the former Greek territories still occupied by foreign powers, were thrilled when Loues met King George I in the kilt of freedom fighters. The king offered Rent any gift he wanted. Loues asked for a donkey-drawn carriage for his water distribution business. Businessmen and other private citizens of Greece also offered him gifts. Free services and unsolicited gifts poured in from all over the world, but Loues turned them all down. He only wanted the carriage and the donkeys. (Holmes, 1984, pp. 76-77)

After his Olympic victory, Loues retired to life as a private citizen, never participating in sports again.

The victory of an Olympian lifted the spirits of an entire nation. For a “new” nation like Greece in the 1890s, it also helped shape that nation’s identity.

The Greeks swelled with pride when Spiridon Loues entered the stadium on April 10, 1896. Greece could now begin to take its place among the nations of the modern world.

Bibliography

Holmes, Burton. The Olympic Games in Athens, 1896: The first modern Olympic Games. New York: Grove Press, Inc. 1984.

http://www.takethemagicstep.com/coaching/athletes/sports-stories/spiridon-louis-grandson-talks-about-his-grandfather/

Verinis, James P. “Spiridon Loues, the Modern Foustanela and the Symbolic Power of Pallikaria at the 1896 Olympic Games,” Journal of Modern Greek Studies, 23:1 (May 2005), pp. 139-175.