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Spyridon Louis: The First Olympic Hero
For the Greek hosts of the first modern Olympics in 1896, the marathon signified much more than an athletic competition. The idea for the long-distance race was based on a Greek legend of a lone runner who covered the distance between Marathon and Athens to report the victory of the Greeks over the invading Persians. Upon arrival he is said to have collapsed and died. For the Greeks, who saw the marathon as a reference to ancient days of glory, a victory in the first modern marathon became a matter of national pride, and Greece was the only country to ...(100 of 348 words)