Coragus of the Macedonian Army was a celebrated warrior

Warrior

A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...

 and companion of Alexander the Great. His exploits in battle were perhaps significant but undocumented, and he is best known for his defeat at the hands of the Athenian Dioxippus

Dioxippus

Dioxippus was an ancient Greek pankratiast, renowned for his Olympic victories in the sport of pankration. His fame and skill were such that he was crowned Olympic champion by default in 336 B.C. when no other pankratiast dared meet him on the field...

, practitioner of pankration

Pankration

Pankration was a martial art introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC and founded as a blend of boxing and wrestling but without any rules. The term comes from the Greek , literally meaning "all powers" from "all" + "strength, power". Spartans were taught to use this ancient...

.

During a banquet thrown by the Macedon

Macedon

Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....

ian emperor, Coragus challenged Dioxippus to single combat

Combat

Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....

, which he accepted. Coragus attended the duel in full body armor and weaponry, including javelin

Pilum

The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...

s, a spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

, and a sword

Sword

A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

, while Dioxippus appeared with a simple club

Club

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...

. After having his javelin dodged and his spear shattered by Dioxippus, Coragus approached the warrior to engage him with his sword, but before he could draw his blade Dioxippus utilized his pankration techniques to topple the Macedonian warrior. With Dioxippus' foot on his neck, Coragus was spared and released, and Dioxippus was declared the winner of the duel

Duel

A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...

, much to the chagrin of the Macedonians (and the joy of the Athenians in attendance.)

Whether Coragus was involved in the later conspiracy that led to Dioxippus' suicide is unknown.