Jump to content

Manolis Stefanoudakis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manolis Stefanoudakis
Stefanoudakis In 2012
Personal information
NationalityGreek
Born (1983-04-05) 5 April 1983 (age 41)
Heraklion, Greece
Sport
CountryGreece
SportParalympic athletics
Disability classF54
Event(s)javelin throw, shot put
ClubMegalonissos: Heraklion
Coached byGiorgos Varveraki
Medal record

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]

Personal history

[edit]

Stefanoudakis was born in Heraklion, Greece in 1983. He suffered permanent spinal cord injuries after a traffic accident in 2007.[3]

Athletics career

[edit]
Stefanoudakis at the 2012 Paralympic Games

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]
  1. ^ "Stefanoudakis, Manolis". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  2. ^ Manolis Stefanoudakis Archived 24 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Stefanoudakis, Manolis". IPC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Greek Paralympians Manolis Stefanoudakis and Theodora Paschalidou to Lead Greece at Paris Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony". iefimerida. Retrieved 4 September 2024.