On this day in 1896, one of the most important pages in the history of sports was written - the first Olympic Games of the modern era began, in the birthplace of Olympism, Athens.
The French baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894, and the first Olympic congress was held shortly after that at the Sorbonne.
Two years later, history officially began - in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. The first ancient Olympic Games were held in that city, around 776 BC.
Coubertin proposed the periodic gathering and competition of athletes from all over the world, but he could not even guess what success the Olympic Games would achieve from the start.
In Greece, the birthplace of Olympism, from April 6 to 15 in 1896, 241 athletes gathered (only men competed), and there were nine sports, i.e. 43 disciplines, on the program. Athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, tennis, gymnastics, cycling, archery... - these are some of the sports enjoyed by fans in the packed stands of the open Panathinaiko Stadium.
The IOC's decision to award the first Olympic Games to the city where the Olympic movement was born did not surprise anyone, but the Greeks were more than ready. And their mythology is full of examples of various games, from Odysseus who won the race and received Penelope as a prize, to numerous others.
Eternal glory at the first modern Olympics went to the Greek Spyridon Louis, who won the marathon race, run on the course from the Marathon field to Athens.
About 20 competitors took part in the race, mostly Greeks, and Luis ran the section in two hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds, convincingly winning 1st place.
Interestingly, he did not lead from the beginning, because the first 32 kilometers belonged to the Frenchman Albin Lemusier, who had to give up due to exhaustion. The lead was then taken by the Australian Teddy Flack, who also collapsed, and in the last few kilometers only Spiridon Lewis was wondering.
The full stands of the Olympic Stadium, where the finish of the race was, were waiting for the competitors in tension, and when the police messenger announced that the local competitor was in the lead, the enthusiastic crowd started chanting "Helen, Helen...".
It is also recorded that Spiridon drank wine, milk and orange juice during the race, and that he ate an Easter egg.
As a reward for the historic victory, he received many jewels and lifetime shaving privileges at a barber shop, but it is not known whether he accepted all of these gifts. It is known that he never played sports again.
The most successful competitor at the Olympic Games in Athens in 1894 was Karl Schumann, a German wrestler and athlete, who won four first places in two sports and four disciplines.
The name of the first Olympic winner of the modern era will also be remembered - it is the American James Connolly, who won first place in the triple jump. He did not only compete in that discipline, he also jumped high and far, winning second and third place.
The Hungarian Alfred Hajoš, an architect by profession - the first Olympic champion in swimming - also stood out. He won two gold medals - in the 100 and 1.200 meter freestyle races.
Alfred was only 13 years old when his father drowned in the Danube, and that's when he decided to become a good swimmer. The whole of Hungary benefited from the combination of his swimming skills and knowledge in architecture, because it was Alfred Hajos who designed the first indoor swimming pool in Budapest, on Margit Siget Island, which still bears his name today.
The balance of the first modern Olympic Games - the Americans won the most gold medals, 11, ahead of the disappointed host, Greece, whose competitors took one less. The consolation for the Greeks was that they won the most medals in total, as many as 46, compared to the Americans with 40.
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