Francisco Lázaro was born in Lisbon, Portugal sometime in January of 1891 (via Olympics). The Portuguese athlete was a talented runner skilled in running marathons. The year 1912 marked the year that Portugal would make its Olympic debut. Lázaro was one of five athletes selected for his country’s first entry, says Olympian Database. On July 15, 1912, the 21-year-old was set to compete in the men’s marathon but sadly, he didn’t even get to the finish line. In preparation for his run, Lázaro did his tradition of oiling up his skin ahead of the game, says Olympics. His intention of using the oil was to prevent himself from sweating, but it did not have any positive results. Instead, the oil did the opposite and made him hotter. This led to him falling at one point during the marathon.

Then Lázaro collapsed again on the track. He had reached a 19-mile mark and fell, and stayed unresponsive on the ground. Emergency crews transported him to a hospital for care but he never regained consciousness and died the following day. The winner of the race was South Africa’s Ken McArthur (pictured above). Lázaro’s cause of death was later revealed to be complications caused by a heat stroke (Time Magazine). His death was reported as the first modern death at the Olympics (via Reuters).