Who won the chariot race at Patroclus' funeral games?

Diomedes won the chariot race at Patroclus’ funeral games. The contest is described in Book 23 of Homer’s Iliad, after Achilles holds athletic competitions to honor his fallen companion.

Eumelus initially takes the lead, while Diomedes starts from the last position. Apollo causes Diomedes to lose his whip, but Athena restores it and strengthens his horses. She also causes Eumelus’ chariot to break, leaving him injured. Diomedes then reaches the finish first with the horses he had taken from Aeneas earlier in the poem.

Antilochus finishes second after a dangerous pass against Menelaus, while Menelaus places third and Meriones fourth. Although Eumelus comes last, Achilles gives him an additional prize because he had been leading before the divine interference. The race is the first and most prestigious event of the games, helping reaffirm Diomedes’ status as the leading Achaean warrior after Achilles.