Konstantine Panegyres /The Conversation The first recorded victor at the Olympics was Coroebus of Elis . A cook by profession, Coroebus won the event called the “stadion” – a footrace of just under 200 meters, run in a straight line. Coroebus was victorious in the year 776 BC, but this was probably not the year of the first Olympic games.
A few ancient writers, such as the historian Aristodemus of Elis (who lived in the 2nd century AD or earlier), believed there had been as many as 27 Olympic contests prior to 776 BC, but the results had never been recorded because people before that time did not care about recording the names of the winners. The games were held every four years at Olympia , a site in Western Greece that had a famous temple to the god Zeus . They started in mid-August and were part of a religious festival dedicated to Zeus.
Competing for Glory In the early days of the Olympics, there was only one event (the “ stadion ”) and one victor. Over the centuries, other events were added, like chariot races , wrestling, long-distance running and boxing . The Roman emperor Nero (37-68 AD) even “introduced a musical competition at Olympia”, as the biographer Suetonius (1st/2nd century AD) informs us.
Victors at Olympia won a wreath of wild olive. Unlike today, there were no prizes for second or third. The athlete Iccus of Tarentum , who lived in the 5th century BC and won victory in the pentathlon at the Olympics of 476 BC, apparently said that for him “.