In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were considered the most important event, and therefore the winners became the real idols of their fellow citizens. They were looked upon as heroes, showered with honors and praises, and their statues were erected in the main squares. From those distant times, the names of the most famous champions have come down to us.
Leonidas, a native of Rhodes, competed in four consecutive Olympic Games from 164 to 152. BC. He won 12 victories in such events as simple running, double distance running and running in full combat gear.
The famous strongman Milon from Croton participated in as many as seven Olympics. And in six of them he won, and in such a dangerous form as a fist fight. And in those days, fighters not only did not use protective gloves, but also wrapped their fists and forearms with strips of leather with metal plaques. One can imagine what a serious injury a fighter received if he missed a blow to the head.
The power of Milo was legendary. He was said to have started lifting a calf every day as a teenager and continued this exercise, building muscle strength even as the calf turned into a bull. It is difficult to say how believable this legend is. But, since the Greeks had a cult of physical strength, only a truly powerful person could become the hero of such myths.
Well, since the revival of the Olympic Games at the end of the 19th century, new heroes have appeared, whose names will forever remain in the history of sports. For example, the first champion of the first Olympic Games of our time is the American track and field athlete James Connolly. He won the gold medal in the triple jump, receiving the unofficial title "The Very First".
The real hero of the first revived Olympic Games was the Greek Spiridon Luis, who won the hardest form of the program - the marathon. Jubilant fellow citizens showered him with countless honors and awards.
The famous American athlete Carl Lewis, an athlete with phenomenal natural abilities, won four Olympic Games in a row from 1984 to 1996, and in different disciplines: running and long jump.
The great Cuban heavyweight boxer Teofilo Stevenson became Olympic champion three times. And among our compatriots there are famous athletes who have repeatedly won gold medals at the Olympics, for example, gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, swimmer Vladimir Salnikov.
