10 Weirdest Ways Famous Ancient Greeks Died
8. Arrhichion of Phigalla — Kicked Wrestling Opponent So Hard, They Broke His Neck, Still Won Match
Probably one of the few times an athlete can quite legitimately claim to have 'given it their all,' Arrichion the Wrestler has gone down in the histories not only for his prowess, but for the circumstances of his final triumph.
A wrestler at the ancient Olympic Games in an event called pankration (which was predominantly a mix of boxing and wrestling, but with kicks, chokes, and other strikes permissible too), Arrichion found himself held around the neck by his opponent. Rather than give up, he kicked them so hard, they jerked and snapped his neck, but they also happened in their pain to signal that they submitted to the watching judge. Therefore, despite being dead, Arrhichion was named the champion.
Some claim that rather than a broken neck, he was instead suffocated, and that the kick managed to entirely dislocate his opponent's ankle. Likewise, the reason Arrichion refused to yield whilst defending his champion title was apparently that his trainer kept saying to him 'what a noble epitaph: "he was never defeated at Olympia."' Glory kept him going till the bitter end.