Manolis Stefanoudakis (Greek: Μανώλης Στεφανουδάκης born 5 April 1983) is a Paralympian athlete from Greece who competes in category F54 throwing events.[1] He won a bronze and a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, respectively.[2]
.jpg) Stefanoudakis In 2012 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Greek |
| Born | 5 April 1983 Heraklion, Greece |
| Sport | |
| Country | Greece |
| Sport | Paralympic athletics |
| Disability class | F54 |
| Event(s) | javelin throw, shot put |
| Club | Megalonissos: Heraklion |
| Coached by | Giorgos Varveraki |
Medal record | |
Personal history
editStefanoudakis was born in Heraklion, Greece in 1983. He suffered permanent spinal cord injuries after a traffic accident in 2007.[3]
Athletics career
edit
Stefanoudakis took to para-sport after his accident as a way for improving his health.[3] He first tried our swimming, but a lack of facilities curtailed this option.[3] He took to athletics instead and by 2010 he was classified as a F54 athlete and was competing at meets.[3] Stefanoudakis represented Greece at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. There he competed in both the F54–56 Shot put and the F54/55/56 javelin throw, winning bronze in the latter with a distance of 27.37 metres.[3] As well as Paralympic success, Stefanoudakis has also won medals at both World and European Championships level. His most notable achievement in athletics outside the Paralympics was a gold medal in the T54 javelin at the 2015 Championships in Doha.[3]
He was awarded as the Best Greek male athlete with a disability for 2015.[4]
The Greek Olympic Committee designated him as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, along with Theodora Paschalidou.[5]
References
edit
- ^ "Stefanoudakis, Manolis". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ Manolis Stefanoudakis Archived 24 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
- ^ a b c d e f "Stefanoudakis, Manolis". IPC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ "Πετρούνιας, Κυριακοπούλου, Εθνική Πόλο Ανδρών και Ράφτης στους Κορυφαίους της Χρονιάς". ΠΣΑΤ - Πανελλήνιος Σύνδεσμος Αθλητικού Τύπου (in Greek). 22 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Greek Paralympians Manolis Stefanoudakis and Theodora Paschalidou to Lead Greece at Paris Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony". iefimerida. Retrieved 4 September 2024.