Vasilis Polymeros

Olympic Medals

1S 1B

Rowing

Bronze medal, August 22, 2004, Vassilis Polymeros-Nikos Skiathitis, lightweight double sculls. Athens 2004

Greek rowers won their first medal in the history of the Olympic Games in Athens. A bronze medal in the lightweight double sculls with Vassilis Polymeros and Nikos Skiathitis. The two Greek men had a terrible race, especially in the last five hundred meters. With the support of 15,000 fans in the rowing stadium of Schinias, they managed to defeat the Danish athletes with great effort and finished 3rd. An unforgettable success that was celebrated frenetically. The 23-year-old Nikos Skiathitis even got out of the boat and collapsed on the platform completely exhausted and powerless. The two rowers from Volos fought with courage, tenacity and will and surpassed themselves in the last 500 m of the course. The final ranking: Poland 6.20.93 France 6.21.46 Greece 6.23.23 Denmark 6.23.92 Hungary 6.24.69 Japan 6.4.98

Silver medal, August 17, 2008, Vassilis Polymeros – Dimitris Mougios, lightweight double sculls Men. Beijing 2008

The first medal of Greek rowing in the Olympic Games was in Athens in 2004. Four years later, in Beijing, the second followed – this time silver – with champion Vassilis Polymeros as the common denominator. In the lightweight double sculls with Dimitris Mougios instead of Nikos Skiathitis at his side, the Greek duo won second place with courage, tenacity and strength. It was a great match, amazing in its evolution, especially in the last meters where the soul counted. The final ranking: Great Britain 6.10.99 Greece 6.11.72 Denmark 6.12.45 Italy 6.16.15 China 6.16.69 Cuba 6.19.96

They said..

Polymeros: “It was a race for the soul, but we had trained hard and expected such a development, we had made our plans. The spectators played a catalytic role in the final sprint.”
Skiathitis: “Until the 1500m I told myself, we lost the medal. But the closer we got to the front, the more our psychology rose, and in the final the voices of the fans gave us tremendous encouragement. When we crossed the finish line, I knew I had given up my entire soul because I was so tired.”

August 22, 2004

Polymeros: “If we had a few meters more, we might have won gold, we might have lost silver, you never know when your strength will betray you in rowing. You do not play with them. In the end we fought, but we could not close the gap. We worked very hard to get here.”
Mougios: “I deliberately chose rowing and I was lucky to work with Vassilis, who represents the history of the sport in Greece. The aura he gave me was more than favorable and I owe him a lot.”

August 17, 2008