This is: Olympics 1896 - Athens
Go to: Olympic Summer Games Olympic Winter Games Ancient Olympic Games
Next Games
Olympics 1896 - Athens, Greece
No. of countries: 14
No. of athletes: 255 - only men
No. of events: 43
The marathon was run between the city of Marathon and Athens, following the
route of Pheidippides, a runner who was believed to have been sent from the
town of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of an invading army in 490
BC. The race was won by the Greek Spyridon Louis. Events were open to
anyone and several entrants were tourists who had unexpectedly stumbled
upon the Games. The
track-and-field events were held at a stadium built in 330 BC. Its track had
an unusually elongated shape with such sharp turns that runners were forced to
slow down considerably in order to stay in their lanes.