Boston Marathon 2014 – Die GOLD Kränze aus Marathon für die Sieger des 118. Boston-Marathon – STYLIANOS Kyriakides, der Boston Sieger 1946 – Horst Milde berichtet

Am Donnerstag dem 17. April 2014 überreichte in Boston vor mehr als 300 Besuchern, darunter der griechischen amerikanischen Gemeinde, vielen Bostoner Bürgern, Seiner Eminenz Methodios und Politikern Massachusetts, die griechische Generalkonsulin Ifigenia Kanara der Präsidentin der Bostoner Athletic Association  – B.A.A. die GOLD-Kränze für die Sieger des Marathon-Rennens am Montag.

Die Zeremonie fand in der FLAGGEN HALLE des Massachusetts State House zum ersten Mal statt.

Die Siegerkränze wurden von Dimitri Kyriakides gespendet, zur Erinnerung an seinen Vater STYLIANOS Kyriakides (der 1946 den 50. Boston-Marathon gewonnen hat), zum 30. Jahrestag der Kranzniederlegung durch den griechischen Generalkonsul, und ein nach Jahr dem der schrecklichen Bombenattentat, um erneut die weltweite Unterstützung für den Boston Marathon und die Einheit der internationalen Marathon-Bewegung zu bekräftigen.

Dies ist das zweite Mal, dass die Kränze der Bostoner Athletic Association – B.A.A. gespendet wurden. Das erste Mal war es im Jahr 2010, am 2.500. Jahrestag der Schlacht von Marathon.

Die Idee der vergoldeten Original-Olivenkränze aus Marathon hatte der Bürgermeister von Marathon Spyros Zagaris, der 2007 auch einen Siegerkranz dem Sportmuseum Berlin – AIMS MARATHONEUM in einer Zeremonie überreichte. Der Olivenkranz ist in der Dauerausstellung des AIMS MARATHONEUM zu sehen.

Die Geschichte von STYLIANOS Kyriakides, dem griechischen Sieger des 50. Boston Marathon 1946 ist in den USA und Griechenland noch weithin bekannt, denn er lief – fast untrainiert nach der der deutschen Besatzung Griechenlands – für einen  guten Zweck, um Lebensmittel und Hilfe für seine Landsleute und Kinder die amerikanische Bevölkerung zu bitten. Ein Charity-Projekt in der damaligen Zeit, heute normal, hatte einen Riesenerfolg – und ihn in den Augen seiner Landsleute unsterblich gemacht (auf die Geschichte STYLIANOS Kyriakides werden wir in einem späteren Beitrag noch eingehen).

Sein Sohn Dimitri Kyriakides hält das sportliche Erbe seines Vaters, der auch schon Teilnehmer beim Marathon der Olympischen Spiele von 1936 in Berlin war und hier Elfter wurde, hoch, durch seine Aktivitäten rund um die Stadt Marathon und den Athen Marathon. Beruflich ist Dimitri Kyriakides erfolgreicher Reeder in Shanghai – und natürlich auch hier mit dem Shanghai Marathon verbunden.

Am Dienstag dem 22. April 2014, nach dem Boston Marathon,gibt es ein Symposium in der Harvard Universität (siehe das Programm in der anhängenden pdf.)

Horst Milde

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MARATHON zu Besuch im „Marathon-Museum of Running“ in Berlin – Der Bürgermeister von Marathon, Spyridon Zagaris, kam mit einer grösseren Delegation nach Berlin – Horst Milde berichtet

Biography Stylianos Kyriakides – Entnommen Wikipedia

He was born in Paphos, Cyprus
 
Kyriakides competed for Greece in the 1936 Summer Olympics, placing 11th.

He was invited by his friend and fellow Berlin marathoner, Johnny Kelley, to participate in the Boston Marathon in the late 1930s. On the day of the marathon he wore new shoes, which injured his feet and caused him to place poorly.

He returned to Greece, and survived the German occupation during World War II. With the Greek Civil War raging, he returned to win the 1946 Boston Marathon. According to a newspaper report, he was running with Johnny Kelley near the end, when an old man shouted from the crowd, "For Greece, for your children!" inspiring him to pull away and win the race in 2:29:27.

According to Life magazine he shouted 'For Greece' as he crossed the finish line.

In 1948 he finished 18th in the Olympic marathon at the London Games.

A sculpture of Kyriakides called "The Spirit of the Marathon" was unveiled in Boston in 2004. It is at the 1-mile mark of the marathon in Hopkinton. It was commissioned by the Hopkinton Athletic Association and was dedicated in 2006 to mark the 60th anniversary of Kyriakides' victory in the 1946 race.

"The winner of the 50th Boston Marathon, Kyriakides used his victory as a call to action to aid his war and famine-ravaged homeland. Kyriakides, who narrowly escaped execution during World War II during the Nazi occupation of Greece, hadn't run in six years when he came to Boston in 1946, with the help of Greek-American benefactors (George Demeter and Spear Demeter).

He was emaciated from the lack of food in war-ravaged Greece, and at one point was told by doctors in Boston he wouldn't be allowed to run because they were afraid he would die in the streets. That backdrop only added to the almost mythic race performance, in which Kyriakides came on at the end to defeat the defending champion and set the best time in the world for 1946.

Nearly a million people greeted him on his return to Athens in May 1946, when he came back with boat loads of food, medicine, clothing and other essentials donated by Americans who read of his victory." – Sculpture’s Official Press Release.

The "Package Kyriakides"

Stelios Kyriakides, after the race stayed for about a month in America, aiming at gathering economic aid for Greece. As his victory caused sympathy to Americans and mostly Greeks, he eventually managed to reach an amount of $ 250.000, while the Livanos family sent two ships with basic necessities (food, clothing and medicine). This assistance was called " Package Kyriakides".

In May 1947, a year after his victory and as a result of the publicity was given to the economic problems of Greece, as aresult of the Boston Marathon, US government send an amount of $ 400,000, before the Marshall Plan. On 23 May 1946 , Kyriakides returned to Greece , where about one million Greeks greeted him as a hero. Then, a formal ceremony was held at the Temple of Zeus, where Kyriakides stating : "I am proud to be Greek " moving to the crowd. For the first time since the Nazi's Occupation the Acropolis was illuminated in his honor.
Honours

Overall Stelios Kyriakides was a 14-time winner in Pancyprian games (2 in a marathon) and Greek champion 11 times (3 in a marathon). In 1933 in his first participation in the Balkan races finished 2nd behind Romanian Gal . In 1934 in Zagreb won the first gold medal out of six in the Balkan games (4 in a marathon). With the Greek national team scored a total of 36 best national performance and has participated in two Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 and London in 1948.

Stelios Kyriakides was awarded the " Grand Cross of the Phoenix " by King of the Greeks. He has also been honored for his contribution from the municipalities of Athens, Piraeus, Filothei, Patras, as well as the Governor of Massachusetts, the Olympic Committee of USA, and others. In the Sports Museum in Massachusetts there is a permanent exhibition in honor of Stelios Kyriakides, with the title " Stylianos Kyriakides – Running for mankind".

In 2004 – after award of the Athletic Federation of Hopkinton – the City of Hopkinton ( MA ) unveiled a statue called " The Spirit of the Marathon " , the route of the Boston Marathon , one mile from the starting point . The sculpture presents Stelios Kyriakides running besides Spyros Louis shows him the way to victory . In 2006 the statue was dedicated to the 60 years of the victory Kyriakides.

A copy of the same sculpture is placed in the Municipality of Marathon in Greece.(Wikipedia)