Diagoras of Rhodes
The Story of a Great Athlete
The Legend of Diagoras
Diagoras was a noble ancient athlete. He competed in the 79th Olympiad, which was in 464 BCE, as a boxer and was victorious. Diagoras competed in many more athletic festivals then just the Olympics. He won four times at the Isthamian games, two times at Nemea, and other games also held in his home city of Rhodes.The poet Pindar writes about Diagoras and describes him as a "fair-fighter", and also a "gigantic man". In the 5th century, when he lived, they couldn't understand how a man could be so successful at boxing. To explain this "super-human" characteristics, people claimed that he was a son of the god Hermes.
After His Death
After the 83rd Olympiad in 448 BCE, Diagoras sons were both victorious. His sons lifted him up on their shoulders and somebody shouted that there isn't anything more satisfying then ascending to Mt. Olympus. (The people believe he would ascend to Mt. Olympus because they thought he was the son of the god Hermes.) After this was shouted, the story says that Diagoras silently closed his eyes and died. After he died, his legend still lived on through his sons and his grandsons who all become victorious Olympians as well.