Eleftherios Konsolas (25) and Spyridon Giannaros (21) couldn’t have asked for a better result at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta (SIRR) last weekend, coming first in the men’s lightweight double sculls final.
They secured another podium finish, with the Australian team and the Chinese team coming second and third respectively.
The duo have just come off a gold win at the 2013 Mediterranean Games in the same category, and the international win will add to their huge list of achievements already.
The two were special guests in Australia and were able to compete thanks to the efforts of AHEPA NSW, who brought them down.
“Eleftherios Konsolas and Spyridon Giannaros showed us that the Greek soul continues to ring loudly, despite the difficulties of the crisis,” AHEPA NSW President Yiannis Kallimanis said.
The duo were overcome with gratitude to the crowd of Greek Australian fans that came to see them and wish them luck, saying “such a reception we have never seen before, we will always have it in our hearts”.
The SIRR is Australia’s largest rowing event. 1872 domestic and 257 international athletes compete in 110 events, which includes the Australian Open Rowing Championships and the World Rowing Cup 1.