Charilaos Vasilakos (Greek: Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος, November 1875 – 1 December 1964)[1][4] was a Greek athlete and the first man to win a marathon race.[5] He also won a copper medal[a] for second place finish at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.[6]
Biography
Vasilakos was born in Piraeus, Greece.[7] His father Michael Vasilakos, was from the Mani region and served in the army.[8] He was the oldest of three siblings, and at the age of fourteen, his father died.[8][9] As a young man he studied law at the University of Athens and worked in the Athens court of first instance.[1][8] He was a member of the Panellinios sports club and a dedicated athlete who pursued running.[10][11]
Vasilakos in the middle,[12] marathon runners in training, 1896[2][3]
On 22 March 1896,[13] Greece held the first modern Panhellenic Games. The main purpose of the games was to select the team that would compete in the first Modern Olympic Games later the same year. All participants were members of Greek sports clubs. Vasilakos had a reputation as a strong long-distance runner. He won the marathon race with a time of 3 hours and 18 minutes.[7][11][14]
Vasilakos was one of seventeen athletes who started the Olympic race on 10 April 1896. He finished in second place, behind Spiridon Louis, with a time of 3:06.03 as one of only nine finishers. Both races were on 40-kilometre courses rather than the now-standard 42.195 kilometres.[11]
After the Olympics, Vasilakos helped establish, and participated in, racewalking in Greece.[15][16] In 1900 he won the first Greek 1000 metres walking race and participated in several races between 1900 and 1906.[15][1]: 32
Vasilakos studied law and became a customs director in the Greek Ministry of Finance. He had a reputation for honesty and integrity.[7][11] In 1960, he was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Phoenix by King Paul of Greece.[8][1]: 6 Annual marathon races in Olympia commemorate Vasilakos.[15][17] He was married to his wife Helen.[16] He died in Athens in 1964.[16]
The 2011 book titled Ο Χαρίλαος Βασιλάκος και η αμφιλεγόμενη πρωτιά του Σπύρου Λούη, which translates from Greek to Charilaos Vasilakos and the controversial lead of Spyros Louis, presents a biography of Vasilakos and signs which challenge the 1896 Olympic race results.[18]
Notes
^In the 1896 Olympics, silver medals were awarded for first place and copper medals for second place finish. Years later, retrospectively, the 1896 Olympians were awarded gold (for first place finish) and silver medals (for second place finish).[19]
References
^ abcde"Βιογραφικό Χαρίλαου Βασιλάκου (1875–1964)" [Biography of Charilaos Vasilakos (1875–1964)] (PDF). pdlakonias.gr. 2016. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017. Google translation (Note image caption on page 32: Από προπόνηση για τον μαραθώνιο (στη μέση ο Βασιλάκος)
Anthony Bijkerk; David C. Young (Winter 1999). "That Memorable First Marathon"(PDF). Journal of Olympic History. 7 (1). ISOH: 27. Archived from the original(PDF) on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
This date is specified as 10 March in some sources as Greece used the Julian calendar at the time. Further notes on article's talk page.
.jpg)
