On this day in 1873, Olympic legend Spyridon Louis was born
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Spyridon Louis (Σπυρίδων Λούης) was born in the town of Marousi, north of Athens, on January 12, 1873.
His father sold mineral water in Athens, at the time lacking a central water supply, and Spyridon helped him by transporting it. He was a ‘water carrier’.
After Pierre de Coubertin’s decision in 1894 to revive the Olympic Games, preparations were made to organise the first modern Olympics in Athens. One of the races would be the marathon, an event which had never been held before.
The Greeks were very enthusiastic about this new event and decided to hold qualifiers for the marathon. These races were organised by Colonel Papadiamantopoulos, who Louis previously served under in the military.