Makedonas

Will make it more difficult for us now. A shame because we started so well with a draw at Spain...

Anneta Kyridou suspended from the Greek national team for one year. No, she didn't fail or miss a doping test. All athletes were required to show negative PCR tests to enter one of the training camps earlier this year. The medical centre where she got tested accidentally gave her a rapid test. Now she is being accused of "putting other athletes at risk" despite it not being her mistake and she apologized and immediately went to get a PCR test after it was revealed that the place where she got tested made a mistake. Really a ridiculous decision and the real reason is that she is not liked by the federation because she exposed some coaches for abusing athletes.

No this year. Interesting selections with the Greek team. We are sending 15 rowers, but 7 of them are from the junior category. Of all other countries combined there are only 5 from the junior category. Kind of interesting that we are sending such a young team. We are third all-time in these championships on the medal table (only behind Romania and Germany) and I was hoping we could pass Germany this year as we have the same amount of gold medals as them, but with this small and young team I guess that probably won't happen. We won 4 medals at the World U23s this year including 2 golds, but only 3 of those 6 athletes are coming to the European U23s, and none of them are in the same crews. Perhaps the most surprising is that we are sending Anastasiadou/Fragkou in W2X. Fragkou is very good despite being a junior won bronze in that event at the World U23s, but Anastasiadou is a lightweight rower, just 165cm, and last year she won gold here as a junior in LW1X so I guess she wanted stronger competition? It's very surprising. And 2004 girl Eleni Leventelli in the LW1X is also surprising. She was in LW4X last year here as well. Kind of strange that the only two times she competed for our national team were in the European U23s. She has never competed in the World or European juniors, which is crazy because she is so young and it would be interesting to see how she'd do against her peers. She can still compete in juniors even next year. I don't know why they rush to throw her into U23s and never put her in juniors.

Also Ireland leading Portugal

Maria Sakkari won too!

Stefanos Also Valentini Grammatikopoulou won 6-3 6-2 in her debut

Alkisti Avramidou and Christina Tsoukala (water polo) Avramidou is 33 years old. She already retired from the Greek national team at 31. Tsoukala is only 30 years old, played her last match with the national team at 29. Both girls played for Olympiacos and won Euro League this past year. Both girls were also part of the Greek national team which won gold at the 2011 World Championships as well as three silver medals at the European Championships (2010, 2012, 2018). Tsoukala was also at the 2008 Olympics as a 17 year old. I don't think anyone ever expected Tsoukala to never return to the Olympics after making her debut at 17, but that's another discussion. Avramidou is possibly the best women's water polo player ever from any country to never go to the Olympics (for as long as it has been an Olympic sport). I thought Tsoukala would stick around until 2024 and definitely didn't think she'd end her club career too, so this is sad news. What a story it would've been to go back to the Olympics 16 years after Beijing. Oh well... Also now everyone from our World Championships winning team 10 years ago is retired

Horrible sportsmanship from team Russia in the final, absolutely disgusting what they did in the last few minutes of the match. Wow...

http://www.len.eu/?p=18343 Ευρωπαϊκό Κ17 (πόλο γυναικών) Ρωσία - Ελλάδα ΤΕΛΙΚΟΣ

9-7 win for our girls against Italy, we play Russia in the final tomorrow. If we win it will be our 3rd gold medal in this tournament, the most of any country

Valentini Grammatikopoulou qualifies for her first career Grand Slam main draw

Meanwhile there are the Women's European Junior Water Polo Championships in Croatia. into the semifinals already Our girls beat: 33-6 10-7 22-13 32-1 Quarterfinals we beat 13-7 Semifinals: vs and vs

Έχουμε υποχωρήσει πολύ στη γυμναστική και στην γυναικεία κολύμβηση. Στη γυμναστική είχαμε 9 αθλητές στο Πεκίνο, 9 στο Λονδίνο, 9 στο Ριο ενώ στο Τόκιο ήταν μόνο ο Πετρουνιας. Στη γυναικεία κολύμβηση είχαμε 7 στο Πεκίνο, 6 στο Λονδίνο, 4 στο Ριο και 2 στο Τόκιο…

So in the end we got 3 medals and a bunch of 4th/5th/6th places (and also a couple of U20 NRs). Not sure what to think. Some disappointing results, some nice surprises as well. Happy Deligianni won bronze in the women's 800 after she got 4th at the Europeans. This is Greece's first ever medal in any middle distance event at a major championships in any junior/youth age category. Most of our athletes in Nairobi will be back next year, except for our three medalists. Filippidou (women's discus) has been a big disappointment in the major championships this year and totally messed up at the European U20s and now the World U20s. Hopefully next year she can redeem herself.

Honestly I expected more from Tzengko. This has been a pretty disappointing season for her, although she won gold at the European U20s and silver at the World U20s so I shouldn't complain. However she had better SBs in 2019 and 2020 which is concerning for an 18 year old. Normally at such young ages you expect athletes to improve their PB every year. In 12 competitions this year she only passed 60m three times, with her best throw being 61.42. In 2020, she competed in 5 competitions and passed 60m every time, with her best throw being 63.96 and 4 of those 5 were better than her 2021 SB of 61.42.

Anyone know why the women's pole vault final has not started yet? It was supposed to begin 15 minutes ago

I never said that she was the worst, but she has had some poor handshakes too.

Sorry but I disagree. She is rude and disrespectful to opponents by giving bad handshakes many times which shows poor sportsmanship, especially when she loses. It's fine if she doesn't show emotions or is shy, but the bad handshakes are rude and classless in my opinion.

Το πρόβλημα με την κωπηλασία είναι ότι πάντα έχουμε καλούς αθλητές στις ηλικιακές κατηγορίες αλλά οι περισσότεροι τα παρατάνε στα 18-19. Στέλνουμε πολύ νεανικές ομάδες σε κάθε Ολυμπιάδα. Ελπίζω το χρυσό μετάλλιο του Στέφανου να φέρει δημοσιότητα και στήριξη στο άθλημα της κωπηλασίας, ώστε να δούμε τις απαραίτητες αλλαγές. Εκτός από τον Ντούσκο, την Μπουρμπου και τις αδερφές Κυριδου, έχουμε και τον Παπακωνσταντίνου, Στεργιακα, Καλανδαριδη, τα αδέρφια Παλαιοπανου, την Αναστασιαδου, Τσαμοπουλου, Νικολαΐδου (είχε σοβαρός τραυματισμός αλλά ανέβασε ποστ στο Instagram πριν λίγες μέρες λέγοντας πως το όνειρο της είναι να πάει στο Παρίσι), Φράγκου, Χριστοδουλιδη, Ασουμανακη (εκτός αν έχει σταματήσει, δεν αγωνιστικέ καθόλου μετά την πανδημία…), Νονη, Βοντζου, Περγουλη κτλ. Μιλάμε για παιδιά που έχουν πάρει πολλά μετάλλια στις ηλικιακές κατηγορίες (εκτός από την Χριστοδουλιδη η οποία είναι μεγάλο ταλέντο και παρά την απειρία της αναδείχθηκε πρωταθλήτρια Αμερικής φετος στο πανεπιστημιακό πρωτάθλημα). Για αυτό πιστεύω και εγώ ότι θα έχουμε πιο πολλούς τελικούς στην κωπηλασία στο Παρίσι. Όσον αφορά την Στεφανιδη, προσωπικά δεν περίμενα να είχε πάρει μετάλλιο αφού δεν βρίσκεται σε καλή φόρμα μετά την πανδημία. Παρ’ολα αυτά πιστεύω μπορεί να ξαναμπεί στο βάθρο το 2024 ειδικά αφού θα χρησιμοποιήσει μεγαλύτερα κοντάρια από εδώ και στο εξής. Εκτός από τον Τεντογλου και την Στεφανιδη, ο Καραλης και η Τζενγκο επίσης έχουν ελπίδες για μετάλλια στο Παρίσι. Και αν βελτιωθούν, ίσως και άλλους αθλητές όπως η Καρύδη, ο Φραντζεσκακης, ο Τσιτσος κτλ., όμως είναι πολύ νωρίς ακόμα για αυτούς… Το τενις στο Παρίσι θα γίνει στις εγκαταστάσεις του Ρολαν Γκαρος (αν δεν κάνω λάθος), άρα θα είναι μεγάλη ευκαιρία για τον Τσιτσιπά αφού είναι πολύ καλός στην χωμάτινη επιφάνεια. Εγώ περίμενα ένα μετάλλιο στο Τόκιο στην ιστιοπλοΐα. Δεν ήρθε το μετάλλιο, αλλα η Καραχάλιου θα έχει μεγάλη ευκαιρία το 2024 όπως και η ομάδα μεικτή 470. Στο iQFoil ανδρών επισης, είτε με τον Κοκκαλανη είτε με τον Καλπογιαννακη. Στα μαχητικά αθλήματα δεν τα πήγαμε καλά στο Τόκιο, συνολικά πήραμε 2 νίκες (από την Τελτσιδου που για μένα ήταν μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη) και 8 ήττες…Περίμενα την Γκουντουρα και την Πρεβολαρακη να τα πάνε καλύτερα. Τουλάχιστον θα έχουν άλλες ευκαιρίες το 2024 όπως και ο Πιλιδης και η Τζέλη. Αν προκριθούν ο Τσανικιδης (πυγμαχία, ήταν τραυματισμένος φετος και αποσύρθηκε από το προολυμπιακό ενώ έμεινε μόνο μια νίκη μακριά από την πρόκριση) και ο Τελικοστογλου (ταεκβοντο, δευτεραθλητής κόσμου το 2019), όλα είναι πιθανά. Στη κολύμβηση η 5η θέση του Κυνιγακη (παρά την μικρή του ηλικία) ήταν άλλη μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη από το Τόκιο, και πιστεύω τουλάχιστον ένας από τον Κυνιγακη και τον Γκολομεεβ (επισης 5ος στο Τόκιο) θα πάρει μετάλλιο στο Παρίσι. Έχει πολύ μέλλον μπροστά του και ο Παπασταμος στην πισίνα. Κλείνοντας θέλω να πω ότι αν προκριθούν οι εθνικές ομάδες μπάσκετ ανδρών και πόλο γυναικών, όλα είναι πιθανά. Το ίδιο ισχύει και για την εθνική μπάσκετ γυναικών, όμως το μετάλλιο θα είναι πιο δύσκολο για εκείνες αλλα η πρόκριση δεν είναι ακατόρθωτη με τις νεαρές παίκτριες που έχουμε. Θα πρέπει να δούμε πως θα εξελιχθούν αυτά τα κορίτσια τα επόμενα 2-3 χρόνια.

Εμεις οι 5 και τον @Yannakis

Sorry but to me she is one of the most rude and disrespectful players so I can't be happy for her, her behaviour over the years has been disgusting. However it is nice to see she seems to finally be becoming mature at age 29, either that or she is less miserable now that she is winning...

This is what I said in another topic. I'm very optimistic about Paris 2024 and I think we will have a good chance to have a much larger team and win many more medals again after a very long time. I'm excited to follow our athletes/teams make progress over the next few years. All of our 4 medalists from Tokyo should be back in Paris, and if all goes well I think they can all win medals again. Plus I think we can win more medals in athletics and rowing, and I think we will win medals in swimming and tennis (we were very close in both this time). Of course there is always sailing where are competitive and some of the fighting sports where we have talents (wrestling, fencing, taekwondo, judo). Shooting is another possibility with not just Korakaki but also some other young talents (Chatzitsakiroglou, Katzouraki, Kefalidou) and maybe it will finally be time for another team sport such as men's basketball or women's water polo?! Of course it is early to tell but so far it's looking good. @George_D @Ted @maestro @El Greco 21

In the end it was a total disaster for us. 6 of our 7 boats made A Finals but just one medal. I wasn't expecting much from our 4 men's boats because there were some key absences and new faces, with the exception of the men's four which finished 5th. Our women's four was disappointing as they finished 6th, when 3 of the 4 girls were part of the team last year which won silver at the European Juniors. Plus they all row for the Nautical Club of Thessaloniki and I expected that they would have a lot of chemistry in that boat, usually our crews are mixed with people from different parts of the country that don't really know each other outside the national team. Also disappointing that our women's double finished 5th after winning their heat and having a girl who won bronze at least year's European Juniors in the same class as a 15 year old. However both girls are just 16 so I guess 5th is a solid result for them, all other crews in the A Final had at least one athlete who won't be eligible for this category next year, and we are the only ones who can have both girls come back. I expected more from Evangelia Fragkou in the women's single sculls but I guess winning a medal is still good, especially since she may have been impacted by the covid outbreak in our training camp last month. If there were another 5-10m, she would've won silver but there wasn't enough water left during her sprint at the end. Still, she is becoming very successful for us with 3 medals in the past year (bronze at 2020 European Juniors, bronze at 2021 World U23s, bronze at 2021 World Juniors). Now she just needs to change the color. I imagine she will appear again this year probably at the European U23s and/or European Juniors. 4 of our 7 women will be able to come back to this category next year, while only 2 of our 9 men will be.

I think her and Elina Tzengko will have a big rivalry in the future

Greece going for our third consecutive title at this event