WINNERS

KATERINA STEFANIDI-NIKOLETA KYRIAKOPOULOU
The dynamic duo of the Greek high jump team began their season in the best way possible. Taking the top two places in the Diamond League of Shanghai, Stefanidi and Kyriakopoulou both had successful attempts at 4.72 metres, with the difference being Kyriakopoulou needed two tries to make the jump. With such a great team, Greece will be considered a force to be reckoned with for all other major competitors in the season.

APOSTOLOS TELIKOSTOGLOU
Not the most popular name on the athletics field, the 24-year-old Tae Kwon Do athlete was able to walk away with the silver medal from the recent world championship tournament that was held in Manchester, UK. This was the first time a Greek athlete accomplished such a feat in the sport, with Telikostoglou making history for his nation even though he was defeated in the final by the far more experienced Milad Beiji Harjeghani from Azerbaijan. Telikostoglou is a member of the Greek Tae Kwon Do team that will attempt to make their way into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

CHRISTOS VOLIKAKIS
The bike-rider continued to demonstrate his great form, winning three medals in the Minsk Grand Prix. He began by winning the silver medal in the point race, while one day later he was able to take first place in the Keirin by gathering a total of 112 points. He ended his successful streak by coming third in the Madison, which is a doubles race. He was accompanied by his brother Zafiris Volikakis. The 31-year-old cyclist is well on his way to representing Greece at next year’s Olympics after his many successful races this season.

SINNERS

JOSE HOLEBAS
We may have recently included him in our Winners list, but the former Greek international’s performance in the FA Cup final with Watford was surely not one he will want to remember. With most of Manchester City’s efforts coming from their right side with Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez, Holebas was constantly on the back foot and was unable to hold back the incoming waves of attacks by the “citizens”, resulting in a crushing 6-0 defeat for his side. Sure, he didn’t have much support from his teammates, but some better defending from his side could’ve maybe reduced the margin of their defeat, leading to a more respectable result. Still a great effort for such a team to make it all the way to the final though.

NICK KYRGIOS
It’s really difficult to figure out what is going on inside the mind of Nick Kyrgios, especially when he appears to be overreacting for no apparent reason. But at some stage he needs to understand that he isn’t just playing for himself. He is an athlete representing a whole country within international tournaments and as such, is required to demonstrate a certain level of respect towards crowds, fellow sportsmen, umpires, and everyone else in the field. If he can’t take the heat, perhaps he should walk away. He has already stated that playing tennis is not “his favourite thing in the world”, so why does he keep pressuring himself to do so? Still though, despite his horrendous behaviour, it doesn’t give anybody the right to label him as a “spoiled little Greek brat”…

KOSTAS SLOUKAS
This season has seen many ups and downs for Turkish club Fenerbahce and 29-year-old Kostas Sloukas. But it appears to be ending on a sour note, as they were unable to overcome the obstacle of fellow Turkish side Anadolu Efes in the opening game of the Euroleague Final Four last weekend, leaving them missing out on a position in the grand final. Sloukas himself only managed to contribute eight points towards his team’s efforts, pointing out after the game that he was “very angry at himself” and that it “isn’t possible to allow two players (Micic and Larkin) to score 25 and 30 points respectively and hope to go to the final”. Sloukas will of course be a member of the Greek national team in the forthcoming World Cup in Beijing.