“I didn't expect to achieve so much in a pan-European race”
Proud and happy for what the Cypriot delegation achieved in the Pan-European Gymnastics Championship for Men, held in Rimini, Italy, the athlete Marios Georgiou said upon the return of the delegation, while his coach Panagiotis Petridis stated that the goal is a medal at the Olympics
In statements at Larnaca airport upon the return of the expedition, the athlete Marios Georgiou, who won gold and three other medals, expressed “satisfaction and joy with the results of the team”. “I didn't expect to achieve so much in a pan-European race,” he said.
However, he continued, “we knew that to qualify we needed a good combination, to qualify for the Olympics” in Paris. Cyprus in Italy, Marios Georgiou said “I feel very proud and happy about what we have achieved. Basically after the injuries and the surgery two years ago, I managed to overcome the problem and now we are going strong for Paris”.
Asked whether a medal at the Paris Olympics is a feasible goal, the athlete replied that “an Olympic medal is the dream of every athlete and of course I would like to have such a medal, I just have to try very hard”.
He thanked “the sponsors, the “Pentadaktylos” Association of Kyrenia, but also the whole team that helped me get this far.” “I am very grateful to have these people by my side and I know that no matter what happens they will always be by my side,” he said.
Mihalis Kililis, Superintendent of the Gymnastics Federation and leader of the team at the Pan-European Championship, thanked “the athletes, the coaches, the support team as well as the Federation for the results. The children worked hard, but nothing was accidental, since the Federation had planned for this match and set goals that were achieved”.
He added that “we set the goal of qualifying for the Olympiad, we set the goal of making the team to eight and we achieved them. We proved that with proper planning, with proper work” he said and wished Marios Georgiou that he will achieve a medal at the Paris Olympics.
Besides, Panagiotis Petridis, coach of Marios Georgios and the National team, said that “our goal was to qualify for the Olympic games, that's why we worked and that's why we prepared. In the process of getting that ticket, the other medals also came.”
I always believed, he continued, “that Marios can achieve great things and he has. I believe that he fought with the logic that this ticket is mine and he should not let any other athlete from all over Europe claim it and in this effort came other medals which are historic”.
He also added that “our goal is a medal at the Olympic Games, we can achieve it and we will work for it”.
For his part, Georgios Theofilos, President of the “Pentadaktylos” Refugee Association of Kyrenia, characterized ” very emotional at the moment because we see young people who stand out. We are sure that these children are the future of our country”.
It is noted that during the Pan-European Championship, Marios Georgiou won the gold medal in the combined individual, while he won a bronze medal in the pommel horse, silver in odd and copper in odd.
The Cypriot team consisted of 21 people and the National Gymnastics Team took 7th place at the Pan-European Championships in Rimini, Italy.
The athletes of the team were Marios Georgiou, Ilias Georgiou, Michalis Chari, Sokratis Pilakouris, Giorgos Aggonas and Neophytos Kyriakou.
The leader of the expedition was Michalis Kililis and the coaches were Panagiotis Petridis, Panagiotis Siippis, Herodotos Giorgallas and Skevi Andreou.
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