Greece To Honor Olympic Marathon Runner With 2 Euro Coin

A 2015 circulating commemorative €2 coin from Greece marks the 75th anniversary of death of runner Spiridon “Spyros” Louis.

Louis was known for being the first marathon winner of the modern Olympic Games, the summer event conducted in Greece in 1896.

Many sports clubs in Greece and abroad still carry his name, as does the main stadium at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, where the 2004 Summer Olympics were held.

Louis’ fame reached Hollywood, as well, as the 1962 Jayne Mansfield movie It Happened in Athens was a heavily fictionalized account of Louis and the marathon.

The coin is being issued during the third quarter of 2015, according to the announcement from the European Commission.

The coin design shows Louis and the cup that he was awarded, against the background with the Panathenaic Stadium. Inscribed along the inner center are legends in Greek detailing the country of issue and “In Memoriam of Spyros Louis.”

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