Greek Rowing Star Stefanos Ntouskos Takes European Silver

Stefanos Ntouskos won golden astatine the Tokyo Olympics. Credit: Hellenic Olympic Committee/Facebook

Greek Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos, 28, added different prestigious medal to his collection, securing metallic successful the Men’s Single Sculls Final astatine the European Rowing Championships connected Sunday.

The Tokyo 2020 golden medalist delivered a almighty performance, crossing the decorativeness enactment successful a clip of 6:44.90.

Ntouskos, a ascendant unit successful the azygous scull, led the contention astatine the 1,000-meter people with a blistering divided clip of 3:20.24. However, helium was yet overtaken by Belarusian rower Yauheni Zalaty, the metallic medalist from the Paris Olympics, who surged up to assertion the gold.

Despite the beardown challenge, Ntouskos skillfully held disconnected fierce contention from Romania’s Mihai Chiruță, who earned bronze, and Germany’s Marc Weber, who finished fourth, to unafraid his well-deserved silver.

Stefanos Ntouskos wins Gold astatine the Tokyo Olympics

Ntouskos, calved successful Ioannina, won the gold medal successful men’s azygous sculls successful rowing astatine the Tokyo Olympics. He pulled disconnected a breathtaking Olympic stunner, mounting a caller grounds astatine the Games with his clip of 6:40.45. Norway’s Kjetil Borch finished 1 2nd aft Ntouskos to instrumentality the metallic medal, and Croatia’s Martin Damir trailed Borch for the bronze.

This was Greece’s archetypal Olympic rowing golden medal, arsenic good arsenic its archetypal medal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Ntouskos had besides competed astatine the 2016 Summer Olympics successful Rio de Janeiro, successful the men’s lightweight coxless four, finishing successful sixth place.

In November 2023, the Hellenic Olympic Committee officially announced that Ntouskos would beryllium the archetypal torch-bearer successful the relay from Olympia to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games

The European Rowing Championships day backmost to 1893, the twelvemonth aft FISA (the International Rowing Federation) was founded. Over time, the contention grew successful presumption and arsenic it was not restricted to European countries, became regarded arsenic the quasi-world championships.

The World Rowing Championships were commenced successful 1962 and the past European Championships were held successful 1973 arsenic from 1974, the World Championships became an yearly event. The European Championships were reintroduced successful 2007 but with a narrower absorption connected Europe.

Greek rowing brings location medals

Greek rowing has consistently produced world-class athletes, demonstrating a beardown programme that continues to bring location medals from large planetary competitions.

Vasileios Polymeros won Greece’s first-ever Olympic rowing medal, a bronze successful the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls astatine the Athens 2004 Olympics with Nikolaos Skiathitis.

He followed that up with a metallic medal astatine the Beijing 2008 Olympics successful the aforesaid event, this clip with Dimitrios Mougios. He besides has aggregate World Championship medals, including a golden successful the Lightweight Single Sculls.

Alexandra Tsiavou & Christina Giazitzidou achieved important occurrence successful the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls. They won golden astatine the 2011 World Rowing Championships and a bronze medal astatine the London 2012 Olympics. Tsiavou besides had earlier occurrence winning World Rowing U23 Championships successful the lightweight single.

Maria Kyridou & Christina Bourmpou broke the women’s coxless brace satellite grounds successful the semi-finals astatine the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, showcasing their immense talent. While they didn’t medal astatine that Olympics, their record-breaking show enactment them firmly connected the satellite map. They person besides won golden medals astatine the U23 World Championships.

Antonis Papakonstantinou & Petros Gaidatzis earned a bronze medal successful the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls astatine the Paris 2024 Olympics, showing the extent of Greek endowment successful the lightweight men’s events.