Christina Papadopoulou delivered an outstanding performance in the 10km racewalk at the Borsky Mikulas meeting in Slovakia, where she improved her personal record, finishing second in 44.58.
The 26-year-old champion, who divides her time between Greece and Australia, had completed the distance in 45.24 last April in the Madrid meeting, but on Saturday, she significantly lowered her time, showing that she is in great form ahead of the World Championships in Budapest.
A week earlier, Papadopoulou showed promising performance in Alytus, Lithuania, where she equalled her personal record in the 20km racewalk with a time of 1 hour 32.53.
The first place in the Slovak meeting was taken by Ukrainian Lyudmyla Oliynyk with a time of 42.53, while third place was secured by Victoria Madarasz from Hungary with 45.27.
The 26-year-old Greek athlete, a resident of Brisbane, who has been living in Australia for several years, recently described to Neos Kosmos the journey she has followed since the moment she decided to try her luck eight years ago in her mother’s homeland, Sydney.
“Everyone told me I would come back in six months,” she said.
However, Papadopoulou had different plans, as she discovered a second home in Australia, whilst maintaining close ties with Greece.
“Usually, I leave in December to train during the winter period so that I can compete. I spend six to eight months a year in Greece.”
With her mother and sister in tow, following Christina’s major move after her father’s death, the young athlete faced a particularly demanding schedule.
Trying to cope with the demands of her studies at the Queensland University of Technology while working at a café during the day, and teaching at a Greek school in the afternoons, the young athlete made sure to consistently follow her training program, which she conducted remotely during her stay in Australia.
“It’s different to have your coach by your side, monitoring your technique and giving you instructions while training with other athletes. Especially for racewalkers, it is important to train as a group, and that’s something I miss when I stay in Australia,” she noted.
Despite the difficulties she faced while moving to her “second home” and taking her first steps as a professional athlete, Christina has expressed her gratitude for the support she received from both her loved ones and the local community, giving credit to the Greek Community of Brisbane for their sponsorship during a time when she wasn’t receiving financial support from the Hellenic Athletics Federation.
