Dimitris Thanopoulos
Silver medal, August 3, 1984, Dimitris Thanopoulos cat. 82kg. Los Angeles 1984
15 wrestlers participated in the competition in the 82kg category and few believed that Greek Dimitris Thanopoulos could win a medal. He himself believed it, but kept it a secret. He started his fights with victories over Moriyama (Japan), Razzino (Italy) and Seibold (West Germany). The victory over the West German gave him a better state of mind and so, despite losing to the Finn Overmark, he knew that a victory over the Yugoslav Momir Petkovic would take him to the grand final. He would secure the silver medal and fight for the gold. He delivered the fight of his life, earning the victory he had wanted and the right to dream. His opponent for the first place is the famous Romanian Ion Draica, the great favorite. And yet Thanopoulos surprised him and took the lead with 2:0 points. Draica reacted immediately, it was 2:4 and finally 3:4, and Thanopoulos celebrated the silver medal, and in his hometown Stemnitsa in Arkadia his compatriots went on the streets with joy. Against a superior opponent he delivered a great fight.
The final ranking: Draica (Romania) Thanopoulos (Greece) Claeson (Sweden) Petkovic (Yugoslavia) Overmark (Finland) El Ashram (Egypt) Santerre (Canada) Sang-Kyu Kim (South Korea)
They said..
“Nobody expected me to get a medal and I think that was good for me, I was not nervous. I had trained hard and after each race my faith grew. When I beat Petkovic, I did not celebrate because the final against a great athlete was waiting for me. I surpassed myself, but Draica won fairly and clearly. I had a feeling of satisfaction inside me, the sacrifice of 12 years was justified. The night after the competition I did not celebrate my medal because I was too tired”
August 3, 1984
