The American swimming star Michael Phelps earned a whopping 11 individual Olympic golds during his glittering career. Leonidas of Rhodes has gone down in history as winning a total of 12 different Olympic victories - an athletic feat that has incredibly never been equaled in either the ancient or modern competitions, even with all our technology and training methods today. He won fast-twitch sprint races such as the stadion and diaulos, but then went on to victory in the “hoplitodromos,” which as its name implies, includes long-distance feats associated with soldiers, including running in a helmet and armor while carrying a heavy shield. Leonidas is notable not only for his long career, winning his final championships at the age of 36, but also for his versatility as well. Unfortunately, little is known about Leonidas of Rhodes, a runner who won the laurel wreath in three categories at the Olympics in the years 164, 160, 156 and 152 AD. Leonidas of Rhodes – the Greatest Ancient Greek athlete of them all According to legend, when a vandal later attempted to deface a statue that had been erected in his honor, the giant bronze fell on the man and crushed him to death. Theagenes, who remained undefeated as a boxer for over twenty years, somehow, in true Greek fashion, continued to be a formidable presence even after he died. He would go on to win another 21 championships at the Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian games, and even won a crown as a long distance runner during a competition in the city of Argos. His most significant achievements came at the Olympics in 480 and 476 BC, when he became the first athlete to win the wreath in both boxing and pankration. One of the towering sports figures from the ancient world, Theagenes was a famous Greek pugilist who supposedly won 1,300 bouts over the course of a 22-year career. He has the distinction of being the very first Ancient Greek Olympian of them all. The prize received by Coroebus was an olive branch, although the honor of winning and becoming the very first Olympic champion, in an event that was held to honor the god Zeus, was far more prestigious than any prize could ever be. From Elis, he won the stadion race in the very first recorded Olympic Games, held in 776 BC.
The Decline - and Glorious Revival - of the Olympic TraditionĬoroebus of Elis, the first Olympic champion of them allĬoroebus of Elis, commonly spelled Koroibos (Greek: Κόροιβος Ἠλεῖος), was a Greek cook, baker and athlete. Only free-born Greek males were allowed to participate in the ancient Olympic Games not only were there were no women’s events, but married women were even prohibited from attending the competition. In 648 B.C., pankration, a combination of boxing and wrestling - which had virtually no rules - debuted as an Olympic event. The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival dedicated to Zeus. By the end of the 6th century BC, the Olympics had become the most famous of all Greek sporting festivals - and there were many such competitions in those times, including the Pythian Games, held at the religious center of Delphi.īut the Olympics, and all the ancient Greek athletes, held a special place of distinction in the Greek pantheon.