{"id":6803,"date":"2020-01-17T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/?p=6803"},"modified":"2020-06-02T11:26:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T16:26:07","slug":"ancient-olympic-superstars-and-the-remarkable-skills-they-could-teach-todays-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/ancient-olympic-superstars-and-the-remarkable-skills-they-could-teach-todays-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Olympic Superstars and the Remarkable Skills They Could Teach Today\u2019s Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Authors: <\/strong>Raymond Stefani<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corresponding Author:<\/strong>
Raymond Stefani
25032 Via Del Rio
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Raystefani@aol.com<\/a>
949-586-1823<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Raymond Stefani is a professor emeritus of the California\nState University, Long Beach with over 160 publications covering individual\nsports, team sports and sports history<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient\nOlympic Superstars and the Remarkable Skills They Could Teach Today\u2019s Athletes <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ABSTRACT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A data base of Ancient Olympic events\nwas exhaustively researched by the Perseus Project and combined into one table\nby Wikipedia, containing nearly 900 results. The Wikipedia table was sorted to\nobtain the distribution of events and to identify the most successful Olympians\nof Ancient Greece. From 776 BC through 277 AD, just 30 events were contested,\neight of which were offered only once. An average of only 3.5 events were\ncontested in each Olympics. Of the five sports, track and field (called\nathletics internationally) comprised 49% of all contested events with the 200 m\nstadion sprint, comprising 30% of all contested events. Competition was so highly\nfocused that winning once was very difficult and winning repeatedly was\nremarkable. From the sorted winners, 12 superstars of antiquity are chosen for\ndiscussion. These superstars include the most unlikely winner in that men\u2019s\nOlympics, a woman, Kyniska of Sparta, who became a double winner by owning and\ntraining the horses that won two chariot races. Leonides of Rhodes won all\nthree of the major running events four times successively, for 12 individual\nwins, not exceeded until 2016 by Michael Phelps. Herodoros of Megara won the\ntrumpeter\u2019s competition nine consecutive times. Two wrestlers won the boy\u2019s\nevent followed later by five successive wins in the open competition. The\nemperor Nero of Rome won six times, showing venerability by acting and playing\nthe lyre in public. The pentathlete Phayllos of Kroton outfitted and commanded a\nbattleship at the 480 BC Battle of Salamis, helping Greece defeat Persia. One\nof the few recorded measurements of Ancient Greece, his long jump of 55 feet has\nbeen nearly duplicated by five successive standing long jumps, each employing a\nre-invented strategy for jumping with weights in each hand. The remarkable\nskills of those 12 may serve as inspirations for today\u2019s athletes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Key words:<\/strong> Ancient Olympics, running, track and\nfield, long jump, wrestling, psychological toughness, training, superstars,\nwomen\u2019s equality
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholarly works such as The Sport\nJournal provide the athlete of today with in-depth, longitudinal studies\nregarding the use of nutrition and training to generate strength. Image capture\nequipment and automated observation identifies proper techniques; which, with\neffective coaching and proper equipment, provides the efficient conversion of strength\ninto performance. Sports psychology helps the athlete make good use of strength\nand efficiency. Videos and movies provide today\u2019s athletes with a direct link\nto the greats of the recent past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, the athletes of Ancient\nGreece lacked that modern technology. They were coached based on observational skills.\nThey trained by trail-and-error. They adopted the nutritional standards of\ntheir time. Based on suggestions passed on from past generations, they performed\nintuitively. On the other hand, many of those athletes accomplished such remarkable\nfeats that today\u2019s athletes would be well served by learning from these\nsuperstars of Ancient Greece. See (5) for a thorough discussion of sports in\nAncient Greece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quadrennial Olympic Games dominate\nour modern sports world; which may give us a false perspective into sports in Ancient\nGreece. Indeed, in 776 BC, a stadium at Olympia was built for the Olympic Games,\nthen held every four years as today (5,7). However, about 200 years later,\nstadia were built in 582 BC at Delphi for the Pythian games, in 581 BC at\nIsthmia for the Isthmian games and in 573 BC at Nemea for the Nemean Games\n(5,10,12,13,16). A four-year cycle was then formed: The Olympic Games were held\nin year one, the Nemean and Isthmian Games were both held in years two and four\nwhile the Pythian Games were held in year three, creating six Panhellenic Games\nevery four years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Olympic Games were much better\ndocumented in Ancient Greece than the other three Games. The Persius Project (7)\ncollected and translated ancient texts to create chronological tables,\norganized by era, of Olympic Games dates, events, winners and their cities of\norigin from 776 BC to 277 AD, although some data are incomplete. Wikipedia (14)\ncombined the Perseus Project\u2019s tables into one. We have downloaded that table\nand sorted it by dates, by events and by winners. The Wikipedia data includes\n900 contested events (861 of which show winners) covering 260 contested Olympic\nGames. The Games were therefore highly focused, with an average of only 3.5\nevents per Olympiad. To win an event, the competitor obviously had to defeat a\nlarge and highly focused cadre.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTable 1:<\/strong> Events of the Ancient Olympics Sorted by Sport\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Events (30)<\/strong><\/td>\n Comments\/Distance<\/strong><\/td>\n First Year<\/strong><\/td>\n Last Year<\/strong><\/td>\n Times Held (861)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Athletics\/Track and Field (7 Events, 419 Times Held, 49% of Competition)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Stadion <\/td>\n X1, 192 m <\/td>\n 776 BC <\/td>\n 273 AD <\/td>\n 254 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Stadion-Boys <\/td>\n X1, 192 m <\/td>\n 632 BC <\/td>\n 133 AD <\/td>\n 31 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Diaulos <\/td>\n X2, 384 m <\/td>\n 724 BC <\/td>\n 153 AD <\/td>\n 43 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Diaulos in Armor <\/td>\n X2, 384 m <\/td>\n 520 BC <\/td>\n 185 AD <\/td>\n 28 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Dolichos <\/td>\n X7-24, 1344-4608 m <\/td>\n 720 BC <\/td>\n 221 AD <\/td>\n 30 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pentathlon <\/td>\n Stadion, Discus, Javelin,
\n Long Jump, Wrestling <\/td>\n 		708 BC <\/td>\n 241 AD <\/td>\n 32 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pentathlon (Boys)<\/td>\n Stadion, Discus, Javelin,
\n Long Jump, Wrestling<\/td>\n 		628 BC<\/td>\n 628 BC<\/td>\n \u00a0 1<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Combat (6 Events, 279 Times Held, 32% <\/strong>of Competition)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Boxing<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 688 BC<\/td>\n 25 AD<\/td>\n 61<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Boxing-Boys<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 540 BC<\/td>\n 89 AD<\/td>\n 40<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pankration<\/td>\n No holds barred.<\/td>\n 648 BC<\/td>\n 221 AD<\/td>\n 70<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pankration-Boys<\/td>\n No holds barred.<\/td>\n 200 BC<\/td>\n 117 AD<\/td>\n \u00a0 7<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Wrestling<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 708 BC<\/td>\n 213 AD<\/td>\n 68<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Wrestling-Boys<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 632 BC<\/td>\n 97 AD<\/td>\n 33<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Chariot Racing (10 Events, 94 Times Held, 11% of Competition)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Apene <\/td>\n 2 mules, x6, 7.2 km <\/td>\n 500 BC <\/td>\n 456 BC <\/td>\n \u00a0 4 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Chariot Race <\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 65 AD <\/td>\n 120 AD <\/td>\n \u00a0 2 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Chariot-Foals <\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 65 AD <\/td>\n 65 AD <\/td>\n \u00a0 1 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
10 Horse Chariot <\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 65 AD <\/td>\n 65 AD <\/td>\n \u00a0 1 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Synoris <\/td>\n 2 horses, x6, 7.2 km <\/td>\n 408 BC <\/td>\n 60 AD <\/td>\n 14 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Synoris-Foals <\/td>\n 2 foals, x6, 7.2 km <\/td>\n 96 BC <\/td>\n 1 AD <\/td>\n \u00a0 3 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Synoris-Colts <\/td>\n 2 colts, x6, 7.2 km <\/td>\n 264 BC <\/td>\n 264 BC <\/td>\n \u00a0 1 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Tethrippon <\/td>\n 4 horses, x12, 14.4 km <\/td>\n 680 BC <\/td>\n 241 AD <\/td>\n 60 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Tethrippon-Foals <\/td>\n 4 foals, x12, 14.4 km <\/td>\n 372 BC <\/td>\n 153 AD <\/td>\n \u00a0 7 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Tethrippon-Colts <\/td>\n 4 colts, x12, 14.4 km <\/td>\n 384 BC <\/td>\n 384 BC <\/td>\n \u00a0 1 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Equestrian Racing (3 Events, 36 Times Heled, 4% of Competition)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Foals’ Race<\/td>\n X6, 7.2 KM<\/td>\n 256 BC<\/td>\n 72 BC<\/td>\n \u00a0 7<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Horse Race<\/td>\n X6, 7.2 KM<\/td>\n 648 BC<\/td>\n 197 AD<\/td>\n 28<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Mares’ Race<\/td>\n X6, 7.2 KM<\/td>\n 496 BC<\/td>\n 496 BC<\/td>\n \u00a0 1<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Artistic performance (4 Events, 33 Times Held, 4% of Competition)<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Herald Competition<\/td>\n Gap of 420 years until 65 AD<\/td>\n 396 BC<\/td>\n 261 AD<\/td>\n 12<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Lyre Playing<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 65 AD<\/td>\n 65 AD<\/td>\n \u00a0 1<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Tragedy Competition<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 65 AD<\/td>\n 65 AD<\/td>\n \u00a0 1<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Trumpeter Competition<\/td>\n  <\/td>\n 396 BC<\/td>\n 217 AD<\/td>\n 19<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

Table 1 summarizes the 861 events in\nwhich winners were documented. There are five sports and just 30 events, eight\nof which were contested only once. The greatest number of contested events at\none Games was 19 in 72 BC. Track and field (called athletics outside of the USA)\ncovered 49% of all events contested. The running track was laid out using Greek\nmeasurement standards (8). One plethron was 100 Greek feet. Six plethra\nconstituted one stadion, giving us the modern word stadium and setting the\nrunning track at 600 Greek feet. Archaeologists have determined that the Greek\nfoot used at Olympia was 1.05 standard feet (8), so that the running length was\n192 m. At the other three stadia, the Greek foot was just less than the\nstandard foot and thus about the length of an anatomical foot. It is likely\nthat the other three stadia were laid out bare-footed, while at Olympia some\nsort of foot covering was worn as 600 feet were measured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were 22 running lanes, which this\nresearcher has personally verified as the starting blocks still exist. The nearly\n200 m stadion was the most popular event, covering 30% of all contested events\nover the 1000-year Olympic history. In fact, the first 13 Olympics consisted of\nonly the stadion. The nearly 400 m diaulos and diaulos with armor required\nrunning in lane to the other end of the stadium, circling a post between lanes\nand returning in the adjacent lane. The dolichos was a longer race of varying\ndistance. The pentathlon was an elimination event involving a stadion, long\njump, discus throw and javelin throw, ending with the remaining competitors\nwrestling for the winner\u2019s wreath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combat sports covered 32% of competition,\nfeaturing boxing, the pankration and wrestling for men and boys. Chariot racing\ncovered 11% of competition, generally involving two and four-horse chariots\ndrawn by foals, colts and horses. Equestrian racing involved 4% of competition\nwith foals, horses and mares running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The physically demanding events were\nbalanced by a few artistic performance events covering 4% of competition.\nDominant among these were the herald and trumpeter competitions. Those skills\nwere very practical in Ancient Greece, which lacked amplifiers at public\nevents. The herald could announce information to be heard widely yet clearly.\nTrumpeters could command movements both for a public crowd and for troops in\ncombat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of this research paper will\nbegin by sorting the Wikipedia Olympics data to identify the most successful\nwinners of the Ancient Olympics. Next, their dominant skills will be identified\nas a guide to their modern counterparts. A few significant winners from the other\nGames will also be analyzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUPERSTARS OF THE\nANCIENT OLYMPICS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules dictating who could attend\nthe Olympic Games, who could compete and who could win were based on the\nreligious and fair-play standards of the day (5). The Olympic Games were dedicated\nto Zeus, a male god, therefore only men could compete, unmarried women could\nand did attend, but married women were not permitted to attend. The men\ncompeting as jockeys and as chariot drivers were paid and thus considered to be\nprofessionals, who could not receive the champion\u2019s wreath. That wreath went\ninstead to the person who owned the winning horses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination of rules created the\nmost surprising entry in the Wikipedia table of winners (14), a married woman, Kyniska\nof Sparta<\/strong> (1,5,11), who was a double Olympic champion. She knew that she\ncould neither attend nor compete inside the hippodrome. However, she could\nbecome the official champion if horses she owned won a chariot race. She must\nhave had a combination of a confident personality and an acute sense of\norganization and detail, because she would have had to hire and instruct male\nworkers who would be responsible to train the horses, maintain the horses and\nmove them to Olympia for competition. She would have had to hire and instruct a\nchariot driver who had to follow her plans faithfully. She taught us not to be\nafraid to challenge the status quo, since others may later befit from our\nactions.  For example, another woman, Bilistiche\nof Macedonia<\/strong>, followed Klyniska\u2019s example and became a triple champion. Her\nhorses won three chariot races: the foals tethrippon in 268 BC and both the two-horse\nsynoris and colts synoris in 264 BC (1,14). Sadly, no lists are available for\nwinners of the women\u2019s Heraean Games (5,11), dedicated to Zeus\u2019 mythical wife\nHera. Those Games were held at Olympia in non-Olympic years. The running\ndistances for women were reduced to multiples of 500 Greek feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wikipedia table (14) was sorted\nto identify the athletes with the most wins.  Table 2 contains the top eight, who won from 6\nto 12 times. Four were from the sport of track and field. They each competed in\nthe stadion, diaulos and diaulos with armor over three or four successive\nOlympics.  In chronological order, Chionis\nof Sparta<\/strong> won six of the nine events over three Olympics from 664 BC to 656\nBC. Astylos of Kroton and Syracuse<\/strong> (Greek colonies in Italy) improved on\nthat total by one, winning seven of nine from 488 BC to 480 BC. Leonides of\nRhodes<\/strong> became arguably the greatest Ancient Olympian by winning all three\nevents over four consecutive Games from 164 BC to 152 BC for a total of 12 wins.\nOne muscle spasm, slip in a start, awkward turn, or poor straightway run during\nany of the multiple heats of those 12 events would have terminated his win\nstreak, yet he persisted in 12 of 12 competitions over a 12-year span. Leonides\u2019\n12 individual wins remained the Olympic best for over 2100 years until Michael\nPhelps won his 13th<\/sup> in 2016. The last among the four to compete, Hermogenes\nof Xantha <\/strong>equaled Chionis\u2019 win count of six out of nine over the three\nGames from 81 AD to 89 AD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leonides\u2019 feats, and the feats of the\nother three, involved a significant element of mental toughness. After early\nwins, each would have been a significant target for the other athletes, and yet\nthey each persisted over and over again. To maintain their physical abilities\nfor eight to 12 years required well thought out and executed nutrition, muscle-specific\ntraining and attention to technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hipposthenes of Sparta<\/strong> and Milon of Kroton<\/strong> followed\na common pattern in winning six times each in wrestling. Each won in boy\u2019s\nwrestling followed eight years later with the first of a series of five\nconsecutive wins in men\u2019s competition. The boy\u2019s competition apparently served\nthem well. Being able to see senior competition first hand, would aid an\naspiring young athlete to ease the transition to senior competition both technically\nand psychologically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herodorus of Magara<\/strong> earned the second highest number of\nwins in Table 2, nine, all of which were in the trumpeter\u2019s competition, over\nsuccessive Olympics from 328 BD to 296 BC. We can only wonder about his tonal\nquality, his note sequences and his showmanship. After two or three wins, other\ncontestants would have been driven to challenge him and judges may have become\nmore demanding of him, yet he persisted. By the end of his Olympic career, he\nwas probably in his 50s, close to the life expectancy of his time, so he likely\nworked to remain physically and psychologically fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTable 2:<\/strong> Most Prolific Winners of Ancient Olympic Events \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Wins<\/strong><\/td>\n Athlete<\/strong><\/td>\n From<\/strong><\/td>\n Sport<\/strong><\/td>\n Events<\/strong><\/td>\n Range of Years<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\n Leonides<\/td>\n Rhodes<\/td>\n Track & Field<\/td>\n Stadion (4), Diaulos (4),
\n Diaulos with Armor (4)<\/td>\n 		164 BC-152 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\n Herodoros<\/td>\n Megara<\/td>\n Artistic Perf.<\/td>\n Trumpeter Comp. (9)<\/td>\n 328 BC\u2013296 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\n Astylos<\/td>\n Kroton and Syrscuse<\/td>\n Track & Field<\/td>\n Stadion (3), Diaulos (3),
\n Diaulos with Armor (1)<\/td>\n 		488 BC\u2013480 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n Chionis<\/td>\n Sparts<\/td>\n Track & Field<\/td>\n Stadion (3), Diaulos (3)<\/td>\n 664 BC\u2013656 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n Hermogenes<\/td>\n Xanthos<\/td>\n Track & Field<\/td>\n Stadion (2), Diaulos (1),
\n Diaulos with Armor (3)<\/td>\n 		81 AD\u201389 AD<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n Hipposthenes<\/td>\n Sparta<\/td>\n Combat<\/td>\n Wrestling-Boys (1), Wrestling (5)<\/td>\n 632 BC\u2013608 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n Milon<\/td>\n Kroton<\/td>\n combat<\/td>\n Wrestling-Boys (1), Wrestling (5)<\/td>\n 540 BC\u2013516 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n Nero<\/td>\n Rome<\/td>\n Chariot Racing,
\n Artistic Perf.<\/td>\n 		Chariot Race, Chariot-Foals,
\n 10-Horse Chariot, Lyre Playing,
\n Tragedy Comp., Herald Comp.<\/td>\n 		65 BC<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

Table 2 contains a rather understated\nentry, Nero of Rome<\/strong>, who won six times, all in 65 BC. From Table 1, we\nsee that four of his wins were in events only contested once: the chariot race\nfor foals, the 10-horse chariot race, lyre playing and tragedy competition. A\nfifth win was in the Herald competition that had been restored in 65 BC after a\n420-year hiatus while a sixth win was noted simply as chariot race, a term found\nonly one other time. Clearly, that schedule of six events had been created just\nfor Nero and it was unlikely that he would lose any one of those six,\nconsidering that he fell off the 10-horse chariot and was still declared the\nwinner (5). On the other hand, he actually competed in all six and was willing\nto put himself in a vulnerable position by acting and playing the lyre in\npublic (5), in contrast to Alexander the Great\u2019s father, Philip II of Macedonia,\nwho is recorded as being a triple winner, including a horse racing event and\ntwo chariot races, from 356 BC to 348 BC, by simply entering his horses and not\nbeing present (4). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWO OTHER PANHELLENIC\nGAMES SUPERSTARS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sostratus of Sikyon<\/strong> found a unique technique that\nsurprised his opponents in the no-hold-barred pankration. He could break\nfingertips, forcing submission (17). His reward was 17 wins: three at the Olympic\nGames (364 BC, 360 BC and 356 BC), twelve at the Isthmian and Nemean Games and\ntwo at the Phythian Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remarkable career (5,15) of Phayllos\nof Kroton<\/strong> (a Greek colony in southern Italy) has spawned a number of\nstudies. Phayllos won the pentathlon twice and the stadion once at the Phythian\nGames of 482 BC and 478 BC. The logical step for Phayllos would have been to\ncompete in the 480 BC Olympic Games. He had quite another activity in mind. He\noutfitted and commanded a battleship at the Battle of Salamis, helping the Greeks\ndefeated the Persians. About 150 years later, Alexander the Great sent a shipment\nof captured goods to Kroton to honor Phayllos\u2019 loyalty. In spite of investigations,\nit is not known whether his financial ability to outfit a battle ship came from\nhis athletic career or from some other financial activity or inheritance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An epigram contains one of the very\nfew (and perhaps the only) documented measurements of athletic performances in\nAncient Greece. An epigram states that Phayllos threw the discus 95 feet and\nlong jumped 55 feet (2). The discus throw and long jump are two of the five\npentathlon skills. That long jump distance raised two questions. First, since\nthe long jumpers carried halteres, 1.5 to 2 km weights, in each hand, how could\ncarrying weights improve distance? The most engaging question was how could\nanyone jump 55 feet? Two sets of researchers set out to answer the first\nquestion (3,6). They could not find a way to improve a running long jump by\ncarrying weights. However, they found a technique whereby a standing long\njumper could gain 5%, carrying 2 kg weights. The jumper begins by standing with\nfeet together, leaning forward, counterbalanced by holding the weights behind.\nThe athlete then jumps and thrusts the weights forward and upward. The\nathlete\u2019s center of gravity is a bit farther forward with the weights than\nwithout.  The jumper then folds forward,\ndrawing the legs under the weights and landing with the same posture as is\nshown on surviving urn paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As to the question of jumping 55 feet\n(16.3 m), KU Leuven adopted the hypothesis (9) that, since the event was called\nthe pentathlon, perhaps a jumper employed five successive standing long jumps,\neach starting with the feet together and employing the weight thrusting techniques\nfrom the researchers discussed above. After eight weeks of training, the KU\nLeuven jumpers (9) achieved a distance of 50 feet (15 m). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Sostratus and Phayllos became\nsuperstars of Ancient Greece via well thought out and well learned techniques.\nIn Phayllos\u2019 case, modern researchers were able to reproduce his standing long\njump techniques. Phayllos shows us that a person who gains public attention as\nan athlete can make significant contributions in other areas as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONCLUSIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsmall number of events contested during each of the Ancient Olympics over 1000\nyears, 3.5, and the rather few events contested more than once, 22, made\nwinning once very difficult and winning repetitively remarkable. Eight remarkable\ncompetitors were Olympic champions from six to 12 times. Having won twice, the\nreputation of an athlete and the obvious motivation of others to defeat that\nperson, meant that the superstars had to achieve great mental toughness. They\nused the nutritional and training methods of their era to maintain a high-performance\nlevel over as many as nine and twelve Olympics. The found and maintained unique\ntechniques such as a standing long jump carrying weights without modern\nmotion-capture capabilities. Along with obvious athletic skills, some showed\nsocial awareness. A woman, Kyniska of Sparta, made a great stride for women by\nbecoming a double champion. Nero acted and played the lyre in public, showing a\npersonal vulnerability and an affinity with common people. Phayllos supported his\nnation by outfitting and commanding a battleship at the naval Battle of Salamis,\nwhen he would have made personal fortune competing in the 480 BC Olympics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

APPLICATIONS IN SPORT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With our much-more advanced technology compared to Ancient Greece, today\u2019s athletes can more easily acquire skills in the areas mentioned above and can compete at a high level over several more years of demanding competition. Athletes need not take part in sport alone, but may also use their sports platforms to take part in socially-relevant endeavors outside of sport. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  2. Harris, H.A. (1960). An Olympic Epigram: The Athletic Feats of Phayllos. Greece and Rome<\/em>, 7<\/em>(1), March 1960, 3-8.<\/li>
  3. Huang, C. et al. (2005). The Effect of Hand Held Weights on Standing Long-Jump Performance, ISBS Conference<\/em>, Beijing.<\/em><\/li>
  4. Kyle, D.G. (2014). Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World<\/em>, Second Edition<\/em>. Wiley-Blackwell.\u00a0 <\/li>
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    Authors: Raymond Stefani Corresponding Author:Raymond Stefani25032 Via Del RioLake Forest, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[994,296],"tags":[950,1543,1544,409,1545,119,5,370],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4btio-1LJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3594,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/olympic-sports-of-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":0},"title":"Olympic Sports of the Future","date":"March 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Authors: Dr. Ray Stefani*(1) (1) Dr. Ray Stefani is a Professor Emeritus, California State University, Long Beach *Corresponding Author: Dr. Ray Stefani 25032 Via Del Rio Lake Forest, CA, 92630 Raymond.stefani@csulb.edu 949-586-1823 ABSTRACT This paper explores possible future Olympic sports by examining the past. The ancient Olympic Games began in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Table-One-811x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":116,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/artists-athletes-a-perspective-on-the-2002-olympic-arts-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":1},"title":"Artists & Athletes: A Perspective on the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival","date":"February 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Raymond T. Grant It is right and proper that cultural programs are a required part of the Olympic Games. History has, to a certain extent, driven the integration of cultural programs into the Olympic Games. And, just as we highlight, in both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports Facilities"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/did-you-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":2},"title":"Did You Know?","date":"February 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Dr. Richard Bell, Ed.D. The Olympic flag was conceived by Pierre de Coubertin. The flag consists of five colored interlocking rings on a white background. The rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. After more than a century the flag still maintains its symbolism. At least one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports History"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":255,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/book-review-historical-dictionary-of-the-olympic-movement-3rd-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":3},"title":"Book Review: Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement (3rd Edition)","date":"March 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Reviewed by: David Gargone The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement presents readers with a comprehensive reference guide covering the modern Olympic movement, including chronologies, dictionary entries, appendixes, and references.","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-ancient-olympic-games\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":4},"title":"FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Olympic Games","date":"February 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Perseus Project at Tufts University Where did the Olympic games come from? Why were they held at Olympia? Were there other contests like the Olympics? Who could compete in the Olympics? Were women allowed at the Olympics? How were the athletes trained? What prizes did Olympic victors get?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports History"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":236,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/crowd-management-past-and-contemporary-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":6803,"position":5},"title":"Crowd Management: Past and Contemporary Issues","date":"March 8, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Spiro G. Doukas Introduction Before the 2004 summer Olympic Games began, organizers contracted to Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), an American company, for crowd management services. During the opening and closing ceremonies, personnel helped spectators find their seats, gave general information on the stadium and its features and helped\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6803"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7259,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803\/revisions\/7259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}