Eleftherios Petrounias

Olympic Medals

1G 2B

Gymnastics

Gold medal, August 15, 2016, Rings. Rio 2016

Lefteris Petrounias reached perfection with his stunning performance in the rings final in Rio, Brazil. Petrounias impressed the judges with his program, as he presented a routine with a high degree of difficulty and executed it flawlessly until the end. The judges gave him 16,000 points, so he only had to wait for his fellow competitors to finish their program to hang the Olympic medal on his chest. Brazilian Zanetti, London gold medalist, competed last and was given a score of 15.766 by the judges, which earned him second place. The two great protagonists embraced each other immediately after the results were announced. Russian Ablyazin received 15.700 and climbed to the third step of the podium.

Bronze medal, Rings. Tokyo 2020

Lefteris Petrounias won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The gymnastics champion scored 15,200 in the rings discipline, however one step in his exit cost him the gold medal. The champion of the rings executed his impressive program and climbed to the 3rd place of the podium, while Liu Yang (China) with 15,500 and Hao You (China) with 15,300 climbed to the top two of the Olympic podium.

With one gold and one bronze medal, he is the Greek gymnast with the most distinctions in the Olympic Games after his fellow athlete also known as “lord of the rings”, Demosthenes Tabakos, who won a silver (2000) and a gold (2004) in the top Sport Event of the Olympic Games.

Bronze medal, August 4 2024, Rings. Paris 2024

Lefteris Petrounias won the bronze medal with 15.100 and made history in artistic gymnastics. Petrounias’ routine was impressive, as he held each element for 3 seconds instead of the required 2 and executed an excellent landing without a step. By winning his third consecutive Olympic medal, he set an Olympic record in the rings, as no one else in the history of the Olympic Games has ever achieved this.

They said..

“In every statement I say that the Greeks have the soul to go where we deserve, and that is what we’re here to prove. For me, the most important thing is to hear the national anthem. I dedicate this medal to my father, my coach and all of Greece. There is no secret for this success. We worked a lot, we prepared well, we were patient, we also had a bit of luck, which you always need, and luckily everything went well.”

August 15, 2016

“I came here to France specifically for the Olympic record. I have worked incredibly hard these past three years since Tokyo. There were three European Championships, a World Championship, surgery, and much more in between.

I am happy to be on the podium. We came aiming for a medal, not any specific one. The goal for both me and Dimitris Raftis was to secure one of the three medals, as this has never been achieved before in the rings. My opponents are worthy competitors and make me a better athlete. If it weren’t for my people and all of Greece, nothing would have been as achievable as it was today.”

August 4, 2024