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Polydamas of Skotoussa and base of a statue showing him fighting with a lion.

Polydamas of Skotoussa (Πολυδάμας) winner of the 93th Olympiad (408 BC) a wrestler that once had to fight simultaneously with 3 of the best wrestlers of Dareius II Ochon, the king of Persia. He killed 2 while the third Persian wrestler run away. Legend says that he killed a lion like Hercules with his bare hands. Polydamas died in a cave in when he tried to hold the collapsing mountain up with his arms. Pausanias saw the statue of Polydamas at Olympia and wrote (VI, 5, 1) "And he on a high pedestal, the work of Lysippus, greater than all men, except for those called heroes,and of any other race that preceded mankind, and of contemporary men, Polydamas the Nicean is the greatest. Julian the African (Euseb. 93rd Olymp.) wrote: The oversize Polydamas won at the pancration, he who in Persia, in front of King Ochon, naked and unarmed, killed lions, had a duel with three of the fully armed bodyguard of the king, of those called the immortals a"and killed them. The same man stopped chariots which were moving at full speed.

Polydamas lost against the pancratist Promachus of Pellene (Πρόμαχος). His coach said to him that a maiden which Promachus loved so much said to him : I do not consider him unworthy of my love, provided he proves himself victor at Olympia". Promachus was well pleased with the words that he heard, in spite of the fact that the coach had lied to him in order to boost him. Indeed he did not only win (404 BC) but he was victorious over his great opponent the famous athlete Polydamas. (Kleanthis Palaiologos)

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