Legends of sport

Ancient Olympic champions and the pioneers of modern sport.

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• Did Arrhichion Really Win an Olympic Title After He Died?

  According to Pausanias, yes: in 564 BC the pankratiast Arrhichion was choked to death but his rival gave up, so the judges crowned his corpse.

• Did Pheidippides Really Run the First Marathon? The Truth Behind the Legend

  The famous run from Marathon to Athens probably never happened as told. The real Pheidippides ran about 240 km to Sparta. How the legend became a race.

• How the Ancient Olympic Games Worked: Zeus, Olive Wreaths and the Sacred Truce at Olympia

  The ancient Olympics at Olympia honoured Zeus from about 776 BC. How the games worked: events, the sacred truce, olive-wreath prizes, and who could compete.

• Was Milo of Croton Real? The Wrestler Behind the Calf-Carrying Legend

  Yes. Milo was a real wrestler from Croton who won six Olympic titles in the 6th century BC. The calf he carried and his death in a tree are later tradition.

• Who Was Diagoras of Rhodes? The Boxer Who Built an Olympic Family Dynasty

  Diagoras of Rhodes was a Greek boxer praised by Pindar who won twice at Olympia. His sons and grandsons won too, making his family an Olympic dynasty.

• Who Was Kinue Hitomi? Japan's First Female Olympic Medalist and Her Short, Brilliant Life

  Kinue Hitomi won silver in the 800 m at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first Olympic medal by a Japanese woman. She set world records and died at only 24.

• Who Was Polydamas of Skotoussa, the Pankration Giant Who Fought a Lion?

  A Thessalian pankration fighter who won at Olympia in 408 BC. His lion, the stopped chariot and his death in a cave are ancient tradition, not records.

• Who Was the First Person to Swim the English Channel? Captain Matthew Webb's 22-Hour Swim

  In August 1875 Matthew Webb swam from Dover to near Calais in nearly 22 hours, the first Channel swim without aids. His triumph, fame and tragic end at Niagara.

• Who Was the First Woman to Win at the Ancient Olympics? Cynisca of Sparta

  Cynisca, a Spartan princess, became the first woman listed as an Olympic victor, winning the four-horse chariot race in 396 and 392 BC as the horses' owner.

• Who Was the Last Bare-Knuckle Heavyweight Champion? John L. Sullivan, the Boston Strong Boy

  John L. Sullivan was the last bare-knuckle heavyweight champion and the first champion of gloved boxing. Boxing's first superstar.

• Who Was the Youngest Wimbledon Champion? Lottie Dod, the 'Little Wonder' Who Mastered Five Sports

  Lottie Dod won Wimbledon at 15 in 1887, still the youngest ladies' champion, then won at golf, hockey and Olympic archery. The most versatile sportswoman ever?

• Who Was Theagenes of Thasos, the Boxer Whose Statue Was Put on Trial?

  A boxer and pankratiast from Thasos who won at Olympia in 480 and 476 BC. His 1,400 crowns and the statue tried for murder come from ancient tradition.

• Who Was W. G. Grace? The Bearded Doctor Who Invented Modern Batting

  W. G. Grace played first-class cricket for 44 seasons, scored over 54,000 runs, took 2,800 wickets and became Victorian England's first sporting superstar.

• Whose Ancient Olympic Record Did Michael Phelps Break? Meet Leonidas of Rhodes

  Phelps broke the record of Leonidas of Rhodes, a sprinter who won 12 individual Olympic wreaths between 164 and 152 BC, a total unmatched in the ancient world.