Leonidas of Rhodes

Leonidas of Rhodes (Ancient Greek: Λεωνίδας ὁ Ῥόδιος; born 188 BCE) was one of the most famous ancient Olympic runners.[1] For four consecutive Olympiads (164-152 BCE), he was champion of three foot races.[2] He was hailed with the title "Triastes" (tripler).[3] Leonidas is acclaimed by some to be the greatest sprinter of all time.[4]

Leonidas of Rhodes
Personal information
Born188 BCE
Rhodes
Sport
Event(s)Stadion, Diaulos, and Hoplitodromos
Medal record
Ancient Greek Olympics
Representing Rhodes
Olympic Games
164 BCE Olympia Stadion
164 BCE Olympia Diaulos
164 BCE Olympia Hoplitodromos
160 BCE Olympia Stadion
160 BCE Olympia Diaulos
160 BCE Olympia Hoplitodromos
156 BCE Olympia Stadion
156 BCE Olympia Diaulos
156 BCE Olympia Hoplitodromos
152 BCE Olympia Stadion
152 BCE Olympia Diaulos
152 BCE Olympia Hoplitodromos
For other uses, see Leonidas (disambiguation).
Neck amphora depicting an athlete running the hoplitodromos by the Berlin Painter, c. 480 BCE, Louvre

Olympic career

Competing in the Olympic Games of the 154th Olympiad in 164 BCE, the last of the "golden age" of the ancient Games,[5] Leonidas captured the crown in three separate foot races — the stadion, the diaulos, and the hoplitodromos. He repeated this feat in the next three subsequent Olympics, in 160 BCE, in 156 BCE, and finally in 152 BCE at the age of 36. Leonidas's lifetime record of twelve individual Olympic victory wreaths was unmatched in the ancient world.[6][7][8]

His number of victories are a testament to his versatility as a runner. Philostratus the Athenian wrote in his Gymnastikos that Leonidas made all previous theories of runners' training and body types obsolete.[9] The stadion and the diaulos, foot races of some 200 and 400 meters respectively, were best suited to sprinters, while the hoplitodromos (a diaulos performed with bronze armor and shield) required more muscular strength and endurance.

References
  1. Lahanas, Michael. "Famous Ancient Greek Athletes". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  2. "Olympic Games - Winter Summer Past and Future Olympics".
  3. Miller, Stephen G. (1 January 2004). Ancient Greek Athletics. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300115291 – via Google Books.
  4. https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/usain-bolt-has-got-nothing-on-leonidas-of-rhodos-17312/
  5. Lynch, James (18 November 2015). The Ancient Olympiads: 776 BC to 393 AD. Warwick Press Inc. ISBN 9781987944006 – via Google Books.
  6. Findling, John E.; Pelle, Kimberly D. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Press. pp. xxxv. ISBN 978-0-313-32278-5.
  7. "Greatest Ancient Olympians - The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - Penn Museum".
  8. Society, The Biblical Archaeology. "The 12 Greatest Ancient Olympians - The BAS Library".
  9. Philostratus II. Gymnastikos. p. 33.
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