Kleomedes of Astypalaia

{{Infobox serial killer

| name = Kleomedes of Astypalaia

| image = 264x264px

| caption = Boxer fastens his boxing glove

| birth_date = {{circa|1th to 3th century}}

| birth_place = Astypalaia, Greece

| death_date = after 496 or 492 BC

| death_place = Greece

| occupation = Boxing

| motive = rage over disqualifcation

| date = 496 or 492 BC

| locations = Astypalaia

| fatalities = {{abbr|≈|approximately}} 27–60[https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/2800486 Olympedia – Kleomedes]. olympedia.org

}}

Kleomedes of Astypalaia ({{Langx|grc|Κλεομήδης ὁ Ἀστυπάλαιος|translit=Kleomidis ho Astypalaios}}) was a famous Ancient Greek boxer who had a successful boxing career in the 5th century BC. In 496 or 492 BC, however, during a boxing match that took place either at the 71st or 72nd Olympic Games, Kleomedes killed his opponent, Ikos of Epidauros, using a foul blow. Because of the foul, he was disqualified and heavily fined by the Hellanodikai judges.{{Cite web |title=Ancient Olympics |url=http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TP003EN.html |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be}}

Kleomedes mourned his loss greatly for putting a stain on his record, and while returning to his hometown of Astypalaia, he stumbled upon the gymnasium from which he first learned boxing and, in a fit of Mania, took his grief out on the school, which was inhabited by about 60 children, by pulling out a pillar supporting the school's roof and purportedly killing at least 27 children.{{Cite book |last=Mitropoulos1 Morrison2 |first=Athina1 Tim2 |title=Greek Religion and Democracy and the Athenians, A Level OCR |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-350-02099-3 |pages=40–42}}{{Cite web |title=Open Commentary Platform {{!}} Open andAccessible Digital Philology for the Information Age |url=https://newalexandria.info/ |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Open Commentary Platform — Open andAccessible Digital Philology for the Information Age |language=en}} When the inhabitants of the city attempted to stone him for his actions, he fled into the local temple of Athena and hid in a ritual chest; nonetheless, the angry mob swiftly chased him down and caught up to him, but when they opened the chest, he was gone. With great shock, his confused pursuers consulted the Oracle of Delphi, which told the people that Kleomedes had become an immortal hero. From that moment on, the inhabitants of Astypalaia commemorated his legacy as one of a champion with annual sacrifices in his honor.{{Cite web |last=thehistorianshut |date=2021-03-15 |title=Olympic Boxer Kleomedes of Astypalaia And His Rageful Rampage |url=https://thehistorianshut.com/2021/03/15/olympic-boxer-kleomedes-of-astypalaia-and-his-rageful-rampage/ |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=The Historian's Hut |language=en-US}}