by Micky Haxhiislami. Translation Petrit Latifi

On January 12, 1873, in Marousi, north of Athens, was born Spiridhon Luisi (Spyridon Louis), an Arvanite (Albanian) who would make history by winning the first modern Olympic marathon at the Summer Olympic Games held in Athens on April 10, 1896. His victory became a defining moment of the first modern Olympiad and remains one of the most iconic events in the history of world sport.

Marousi, Louis’s birthplace, was once inhabited predominantly by Arvanites (Albanians), who preserved their language, customs, and traditional dress. An English volunteer during the Greek War of Independence, passing through Marousi, described it as a settlement of about “one thousand inhabitants, dressed in fustanella, who spoke the Albanian language among themselves.”

This historical testimony sheds light on the cultural roots of Spiridon Louis and on the early Arvanite presence in Attica, placing his figure not only within a sporting context but also within the broader historical and ethnocultural landscape of the region.