Milo of Croton: The greatest Olympic athlete of the ancient world

Milo's early life began in the 6th century BCE in the Greek city-state of Croton, which was located in what is now southern Italy. 

Croton was a centre for top-level sport, and Milo grew up in a culture that valued both thinking and physical fitness. 

The exact date of Milo’s birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born around 560 BCE. 

Milo was likely involved in Greek athletic traditions, a key part of education and culture in ancient Greece. 

Athletic training at that time focused on moral and spiritual growth rather than physical fitness.

It followed the Greek ideal of arete, which meant doing one’s best in all parts of life. 

As a young man, Milo’s strength quickly showed: he had natural power and, with hard training, became an outstanding athlete early on. 

His early life would have been strongly influenced by athletic festivals central to Greek culture, such as local games held in Croton and nearby cities. 

These festivals were important religious and social events that also gave Milo a chance to show his skill and start building his reputation.

Milo’s first win at the Olympic Games came around 540 BCE, when he was still a young man, and, following this victory, his remarkable career began. 

Over the following years, he continued to be the best in wrestling, when he won the Olympic title again in 536, 532, 528, 524, and 520 BCE. 

His success in wrestling was not limited to the Olympics; he also won at other major Greek sport festivals. 

He won seven events at the Pythian Games in Delphi; nine at the Nemean Games; and ten at the Isthmian Games. 

These festivals, which were just less important than the Olympics, attracted the best athletes from across Greece, which made Milo’s wins even more impressive. 

He was known for his powerful presence on the wrestling mat because he defeated opponents with both skill and strength. 

His training methods, which, according to legend, included the fact that he carried a bull on his shoulders, helped him achieve impressive fitness. 

He was so strong that other athletes often could not beat him; as a result, in some cases they refused to face him. 

Milo was also admired for his mental toughness and strategy, since wrestling in ancient Greece was as much a mind game as a physical one and his ability to outthink opponents was important to his success. 

His fame reached beyond Greece, as Romans wrote about him and made art that showed him. 

The death of Milo of Croton is surrounded by as much myth as his life, and, according to the most told story, the way he died was just as unusual as his life. 

It is said that when he attempted to split a tree trunk with his bare hands, his hand got stuck in the crack and unable to free himself, he was then attacked and eaten by wolves. 

This story, though possibly untrue, matches the larger-than-life tales about him, which showed him as a figure of great strength even in his final moments. 

It also became a warning about too much pride and taught the belief that even the strongest are not safe from nature or fate.

Milo is remembered because he showed the ideal of physical strength and self-discipline rather than for his great wins in wrestling that was so valued in ancient Greek culture. 

For centuries after his death, athletes in Greece and beyond looked up to him as an example to follow.