Greek Athletes Shine and Inspire at 17th Paralympic Games

Greece’s delegation this year at the 17th Paralympic Games in Paris was exceptional, with Greek athletes making history and taking home an abundance of gold, silver and bronze medals, meanwhile inspiring all of Greece for the tremendous ability of the athletes to overcome their challenges and persevere.

At the 17th Paralympic Games, Greece took home thirteen medals in total, split between three gold, three silver and seven bronze, not to mention the tremendous top finishes of other athletes from the Greek delegation.

And at the closing ceremony, two great Greek swimmers, the Gold Paralympic medalist Alexandra Stamatopoulou and Silver Paralympic medalist Antonis Tsapatakis, raised the Greek flag high in the sky of Stade de France.

Greece’s Performance at the 17th Paralympic Games

The presence of the Greek delegation in Paris was exceptional, and one of the best in the history of Greek sports—if not the best—according to TO VIMA.

At the Paris Games, a total of 419 world and Paralympic records were set in track and field, swimming, powerlifting, archery, shooting, canoeing, track cycling, and rowing—the highest number ever recorded in the history of the Paralympic Games.

At this high level, the Greek delegation performed brilliantly, supported by 37 athletes, three assistants, and all the coaches who worked tremendously hard for three years leading up to the Games.

Two other paralympic games worth noting were the 2004 games in Athens, Greece where the country won 20 medals (3 gold – 13 silver – 4 bronze), and the 2008 games in Beijing, where Greece took home 24 medals (5-9-10). In Beijing Charalambos Taiganidis alone winning six medals (often called the “Greek Michael Phelps,” who had five individual and three relay medals).

At the 17th Paralympic Games, Greece’s performance was outstanding:

• 13 medals in total: 3 gold, 3 silver, and 7 bronze
• 5 sports in which Greek athletes won medals
• 6 new medalists
• 4 medalists under the age of 24, with two being just 19 years old
• 35 top-eight finishes, which means 35 Paralympians
• 30 appearances in finals

Individual Achievements That Made History:

• • • Grigoris Polychronidis (with ramp operator Katerina Patroni) reached the podium for the fifth consecutive Games, surpassing the tie of four shared with Pyrros Dimas in the Olympic Games.
    • Nassos Gavelas (with guide Yiannis Nifantopoulos) became the first Greek Paralympic and Olympic runner to win back-to-back titles, a feat achieved only by Pyrros Dimas (weightlifting), Kakhi Kakhiashvili (weightlifting), and Miltos Tentoglou (long jump) in the Olympics, and legendary swimmers Charalambos Taiganidis and Christos Tampaxis in the Paralympics. Nassos is just 24 years old.
    • Thanasis Konstantinidis became the first track and field athlete to win two medals in the same event, one of which was gold. The second was bronze.
    • Christina Gkentzou, with the bronze medal she won in taekwondo, became the youngest athlete to achieve this in Greek Paralympic history. Born on July 26, 2005, she won the medal at the age of 19 years and 35 days! The second youngest was also on this team, as Lida Manthopoulou won silver in the 100m at 19 years and 78 days.
    • Thanasis Konstantinidis, at 54 years and 128 days old, became the oldest Greek athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
    • Dora Paschalidou won Greece’s first Paralympic medal in judo. Both she and her coach, Theoklitos Papachristos (also a Paralympian), are totally blind, making this achievement even more remarkable according to the IPC (International Paralympic Committee).
    • Taekwondo made its Paralympic debut, and Greece had two participants, Christina Gkentzou (65kg) and Eleni Papastamatopoulou (+65kg), both winning medals in their first appearance.
    • Sotiris Galogavros became the first Greek athlete to reach the shooting finals in the Paralympic Games.
    • Areti Aravela Spiridou, at the age of 12 years and 192 days, became the youngest athlete to participate in the Paralympic Games.

Greece’s Medals at the 17th Paralympic Games:

Gold (3):

• • • Nassos Gavelas (with guide Yiannis Nifantopoulos) – 100m (T11) track
    • Thanasis Konstantinidis – shot put (F32) track and field
    • Alexandra Stamatopoulou – 50m backstroke (S4) swimming

Silver (3):

• • • Thanasis Konstantinidis – club throw (F32) track and field
    • Antonis Tsapatakis – 100m breaststroke (SB4) swimming
    • Lida Manthopoulou – 100m (T38) track and field

Bronze (7):

• • • Grigoris Polychronidis – individual (BC3) boccia
    • Lazaros Stefanidis – shot put (F32) track and field
    • Konstantinos Tzounis – discus throw (F56) track and field
    • Manolis Stefanoudakis – javelin throw (F54) track and field
    • Theodora Paschalidou – 70kg (J1) judo
    • Christina Gkentzou – 65kg (K44) taekwondo
    • Eleni Papastamatopoulou – +65kg (K44) taekwondo

Source: TO VIMA