Leonidas of Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Leonidas of Rhodes was one of the most famous Olympic runner
s of antiquity. Competing in the Olympic Games of 164 BCE, he captured the crown in three separate foot races — the stadion, the diaulos
, and the hoplitodromos
. He repeated this feat in the next three subsequent Olympics, in 160 BCE, in 156 BCE, and finally in 152 BCE at the age of 36. Leonidas's lifetime record of twelve Olympic crowns was unmatched in the ancient world.
Leonidas was renowned not only for his unsurpassed number of victories but for his versatility as a runner. His favored races required speed and strength in differing degrees; the stadion and the diaulos, 200-yard and 400-yard races respectively, were best suited to sprinters, while the hoplitodromos, a diaulos performed with bronze armor and shield, required more muscular strength and endurance. Philostratus the Athenian
wrote in his Gymnastikos that Leonidas's versatility made all previous theories of runners' training and body types obsolete.
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
s of antiquity. Competing in the Olympic Games of 164 BCE, he captured the crown in three separate foot races — the stadion, the diaulos
Diaulos (running race)
Diaulos was a double-stadion race introduced in the 14th Olympiad of the ancient Olympics...
, and the hoplitodromos
Hoplitodromos
The hoplitodromos or hoplitodromia was an ancient foot race, part of the Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games...
. He repeated this feat in the next three subsequent Olympics, in 160 BCE, in 156 BCE, and finally in 152 BCE at the age of 36. Leonidas's lifetime record of twelve Olympic crowns was unmatched in the ancient world.
Leonidas was renowned not only for his unsurpassed number of victories but for his versatility as a runner. His favored races required speed and strength in differing degrees; the stadion and the diaulos, 200-yard and 400-yard races respectively, were best suited to sprinters, while the hoplitodromos, a diaulos performed with bronze armor and shield, required more muscular strength and endurance. Philostratus the Athenian
Philostratus
Philostratus or Lucius Flavius Philostratus , , called "the Athenian", was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period. His father was a minor sophist of the same name. He was born probably around 172, and is said by the Suda to have been living in the reign of emperor Philip the Arab . His death...
wrote in his Gymnastikos that Leonidas's versatility made all previous theories of runners' training and body types obsolete.