MenuRio de Janeiro, Brazil was the stage for the 2016 Olympic Games. Greece sent 94 athletes (38 females and 56 males) to compete in Archery, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming (Pool / Marathon / Synchronized,) Track and Field, Water Polo, Weightlifting, and Wrestling. Six of these athletes walked away with Olympic medals!
Olympic Medal Winners for Greece
Anna Korakaki
- Gold: Women's Shooting: 25m Pistol
- Bronze: Women's Shooting: 10m Air Pistol
Korakaki received a Hero's Welcome in her home town of Drama, where she was presented with the traditional olive branch wreath. At her request, no politicians attending the ceremonies.
Spirydon (Spiros) Gianniotis
- Silver: Men's Marathon Swimming: 10k Open Water Swim
After enduring almost two hours of open water swimming and failing to touch the pad on his first attempt, Gianniotis lost Gold to Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands, by one tenth of a second.
Eleftherios Petrounias
- Gold: Men's Gymnastics: Rings
Petrounias snatched Gold away from the the 2012 Olympic champion with a perfectly stuck landing. He is the third Greek gymnast in history to win the Still Rings Olympic Gold title. The first was over a hundred years ago at the 1896 Olympics.
Katerina Stefanidi
- Gold: Women's Track and Field: Pole Vault
Inspired by her husband's belief in her abilities, Katerina Stefanidi won the first Gold Medal for Greece in Track and Field since the 2004 Olympics. She was greeted at the Athens International Airport by the representatives of the Greek Track and Field association.
Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis
- Bronze: Mens Sailing: 470 Dinghy
The sailing team of Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis won bronze in the men's 470 dinghy race in Rio. This duo have been racing together since 2008.
Greek-American Medal Winners
Helen Maroulis
- Gold: Women's Wrestling: 53 kg Division
Helen Maroulis won Gold for the USA after pinning Saori Yoshida of Japan. Her parents immigrated from Greece and her wrestling career started while practicing with her brother, at seven years old.
Alexander Massialas
- Silver: Men's Fencing
This is first fencing medal won by the USA since 1932. Alexander Massialas's father, Greg Massialas, immigrated from Crete, Greece and is also a former fencing Olympian.