Strong showing by young Greeks in Ioannina
Greece finished third overall in the medal count, winning three golds, two silvers, and two bronzes at the European U23 Rowing Championships in Ioannina, Greece.
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Once again, Christina Bourmpou and Maria Kyridou were the stars for Greece. The duo from Thessaloniki, both just 18 years of age, captured gold in the women’s pair. As they have done several times in the past, Bourmpou and Kyridou beat teams with girls much older than them. They successfully defended their title, and have now won five consecutive gold medals in major competitions across the U23, junior, and youth levels. In addition to the 2018 and 2019 European U23 Championships, the girls also won gold at the 2019 World U23 Championships, the 2018 World Junior Championships, and at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. They also remain the only Greek rowers to have qualified for the 2020 Olympics so far.
Maria Kyridou’s older sister, Anneta Kyridou, won gold in the women’s single sculls. After winning silver in the women’s double sculls in both 2017 and 2018 with partner Dimitra Tsamopoulou, the 20-year-old from Thessaloniki had to make the switch to the single sculls at the last minute. This was due to Tsamopoulou being injured, and therefore unable to compete in Ioannina. The duo had won gold earlier this year at the World U23 Championships, and would have been massive favorites to do the same at the European U23 Championships.
Greece’s other gold medal came in the lightweight men’s double sculls, from 20-year-old Antonios Papakonstantinou and 18-year-old Petros Gkaidatzis. Gkaidatzis had also won gold last year in the same event with Ninos Nikolaidis, while Papakonstantinou had won gold in the lightweight men’s pair with Ioannis Marokos.
Greece took silver in the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls, with 17-year-olds Sofia Theochari, Eleni Varelopoulou, and Chrysi Kalitsa, and 16-year-old Angeliki Arabatzi. Greece’s other silver medal came from 21-year-old Ioannis Kalandaridis and 20-year-old Ioannina native Athanasios Palaiopanos in the men’s pair. Kalandaridis had won bronze last year in the same event with Spyridon Kalentzis, and gold the previous year in the men’s double sculls with Christos Stergiakas.
Rio 2016 finalist and Ioannina native Stefanos Ntouskos won bronze in the men’s single sculls, despite having a fever. Last year, he had won gold with Stergiakas in the men’s double sculls. Finally, Eleni Varveri Vasileiadou and Eleni Varelopoulou took bronze in the lightweight women’s double sculls.
20-year-old Aristeidis Grammeniatis and 19-year-old Georgios Grammeniatis, brothers from Ioannina, finished fifth in the lightweight men’s pair. 17-year-old Evangelia Anastasiadou was sixth in the lightweight women’s single sculls, being the youngest rower in the entire event by two years. In the men’s four, 16-year-old Leonidas Tzoumezis and 18-year-olds Dimitrios Zografos, Leonidas Palaiopanos, and Theodoros Lapikof came in seventh place. Finally, 18-year-old Vasileios Baroutas and 17-year-old Dimitrios Stasinos were 13th in the men’s double sculls. With most of this year’s team being significantly younger than 23, it is clear that Greece has a bright future in the sport of rowing.
Romania finished first in the medal count with nine gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes. Belarus were second with three golds and three silvers. Hosts Greece were third overall with three golds, two silvers, and two bronzes. It must be noted that last year, Greece finished second overall (behind Romania) with five golds, one silver, and one bronze.
GREEK MEDALS AT THE 2019 EUROPEAN U23 ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS:
GOLD
Women’s Single Sculls: Anneta Kyridou
Women’s Pair: Christina Bourmpou, Maria Kyridou
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls: Antonios Papakonstantinou, Petros Gkaidatzis
SILVER
Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Sculls: Sofia Theochari, Angeliki Arabatzi, Eleni Varelopoulou, Chrysi Kalitsa
Men’s Pair: Ioannis Kalandaridis, Athanasios Palaiopanos
BRONZE
Men’s Single Sculls: Stefanos Ntouskos
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls: Eleni Varveri Vasileiadou, Eleni Varelopoulou
