Sotiris Versis

Bronze medal, April 6, 1896, Sotiris Versis, discus throw, Athens 1896.

In the grand final of the discus throw, Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos, considered by many to be the favorite for first place, was joined by Sotiris Versis, who also competed in the weightlifting events. The Greek champion had a best throw of 27.78 and fought until the end of the race to achieve more than 3rd place. Nothing changed, not even in the ranking, and he finished third behind Garrett (USA) 29.15 and Paraskevopoulos (Greece) 28.955, with the American taking the victory in his last attempt. The final: Garrett (USA) 29.15 p. Paraskevopoulos (Greece) 28.95 Versis (Greece) 27.76 Robertson (M. Great Britain) 25.20.

Bronze medal, April 7, 1896, Sotiris Versis, lifting with two hands, Athens 1896.

The day before, Sotiris Versis had placed third in the discus throw and expected to win in the two-handed weightlifting as well. Everyone knew how strong he was, but his problem was technique. The Greek champion remained in third place again with a performance of 90 kg, although there are reports that he could also lift 95 kg. The winner was the Dane Viggo Jensen with 111.5 kg, exactly what the Briton Elliot had lifted, but he was relegated to second place because his opponent had a better technique, as the judges explained and determined a draw according to the rules of the time. Versis was only 20 years old in 1896, a Panhellenic athlete and student at the Athens Academy of Commerce. Fourth place went to Giorgos Papasideris, then a medical student, weighing 90 kg. A total of six athletes from five countries participated. The ranking Jensen (Denmark) 111.5k Elliott (Great Britain) 111.5 Versis (Greece) 90 Papasideris (Greece) 90 Schumann (Germany) 90 Tapovisa (Hungary) 80