Francisco Lázaro

Francisco Lázaro ( born January 21, 1891 † July 15, 1912 ) was a Portuguese marathon runner.

He was the first Portuguese marathon runner who took part for his country in the Olympic Games, namely at the Games in Stockholm in 1912. Lázaro was also the flag bearer of the Portuguese team at the opening.

During his marathon he collapsed at the 29- km mark, was admitted to a hospital and died the next morning. First, it was assumed that he dehydrated because of the high effort and the high temperatures of the day, but was later found that he had rubbed his body with wax to protect yourself from the sun. This meant that his body was no longer able to sweat and thus the electrolyte balance was disturbed. He was the first athlete who died in the Olympic Games of the modern era.

Five days after his death, a sports festival was held in honor of him in the Olympic Stadium. A collection among the 23,000 spectators resulted in an amount of 14,000 crowns, the Lázaro family was passed. In Lisbon, Rua Francisco Lázaro is named after him in the Benfica neighborhood.