The First Olympics Champion
Because the ancient Greeks dated events based on four-year Olympiad cycles, the stadion race’s winner achieved a degree of fame and prestige difficult to grasp today. Since the Olympiad was named after him, from then on out, people would include his name whenever they referred to anything that happened in the four year cycle of his victory. Something along the lines of: “such and such happened in the first (or second, or third, or fourth) year of [Olympic Winner’s Name] Olympiad“.
Eventually, more athletic events were added to the competition, such as wrestling, boxing, javelin, discus, long jump, and chariot racing. However, the stadion retained its pride of place as the Olympic Games’ most prestigious event, and the four-year Olympiad cycles continued to be named after its victor. Because of that, historians can name just about every stadion winner. The first of them – and thus the first Olympics victor, was a cook from the city-state of Elis named Koroibos, who won the stadion in 776 BC.
_________________
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Barthel, Thomas – Abner Doubleday: A Civil War Biography (2010)
Bleacher Report – MMA History: How Pankration Champion Arrichion Won Olympic Crown After His Death
Bleacher Report – Cleveland Indians’ Ten Cent Beer Night: The Worst Idea Ever
Catton, Bruce – The Civil War, Three Volumes in One (1984)
Cleveland dot Com – Fans Riot on 10 Cent Beer Night: On This Day in Cleveland Indians History
CNN – Frank Hayes: The Jockey Who Won a Race Despite Being Dead
Cracked – The Dead Man Who Won a Horse Race
Daily Beast – Night Rock Fans Rioted to Kill Disco – at a Chicago Baseball Game
Daily Beast – Things You Probably Don’t Know About the Olympics
Doubleday, Abner – My Life in the Old Army (1998 Edition)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Ancient Greek Olympic Games
Encyclopedia Britannica – Milo of Croton
Grunge – The Bizarre death of Milo of Croton
History Collection – 40 Facts About the Gladiators of Ancient Rome
Journal of Combative Sport, September, 2003 – Arrichion’s Last Fight: What Really Happened?
Miller, Stephen G. – Ancient Greek Athletics (2004)
National Public Radio – Being a Jockey Isn’t Just Horsing Around
NBC Chicago – Time Obscures Meaning of Disco Demolition
NBC Sports – Today in Baseball History: Indians Hold Infamous Ten Cent Beer Night
Ripley’s Believe it or Not – Frank Hayes: The Dead Man Who Won a Horse Race
Suetonius – The Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Nero
Wise Geek – How Successful Was Emperor Nero at the Olympic Games?