The First Olympians 7/7: A Water Carrier Won the First Olympic Marathon (The True Story of Spyridon Louis)

Tales of Life: Ordinary People, Extraordinary True Stories · Oct 25, 2026 · 5m

(00:00) The stadium goes silent

Chapters:

The First Olympians, Episode 7 of 7, the finale. The true story of Spyridon Louis, a water carrier from the village of Marousi near Athens, who won the first Olympic marathon on 10 April 1896. The race was a brand-new idea, inspired by the legend of a messenger who ran from Marathon to Athens. The favourites dropped out one by one, Louis stopped in a village halfway for a drink, and then ran into the Panathenaic Stadium first, where two Greek princes ran the last lap beside him. His time was 2 hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds. Offered rich gifts, he…