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Pyrros Dimas

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Pyrros Dimas
File:Pirrodhima.jpg
Medal record
Representing  Greece
Men's weightlifting
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona -82.5 kg
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta -83 kg
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney -85 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens -85 kg
World Championships
Total
Gold medal – first place 1993 Melbourne -83 kg
Gold medal – first place 1995 Guangzhou -83 kg
Gold medal – first place 1998 Lahti -85 kg
Silver medal – second place 1999 Athens -85 kg
European Championships
Total
Gold medal – first place 1995 Warszawa -83 kg
Silver medal – second place 1998 Riesa -85 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Szekszard -82.5 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Sofia -83 kg

Pyrros Dimas (Greek: Πύρρος Δήμας born in October 13, 1971) is a Greek[1] weightlifter and three-time Olympic champion.

Background

Dimas was born in Himara,[2][3][4][5], Albania, to ethnic Greek[6] parents. He started the sport at 11 and at 14 ranked second in Albania for the Category of Pioniers (until 14 years old).[7] His ethnicity is contested by many Albanians that claim that he only took Greek ethnicity for financial gain, as many others did after the collapse of communism (see . As proof they cite a 1586 Ottoman Empire census that show that all the Dhimas in Himara had typical Northern Albanian Catholic names, like Dhima Gjon Meshi, Nika Dhima, Dhima Mihallo, Dhima Nika, Pjeter Dhima, Gjok Dhim Gjini and Dhimo Gjin Dhima [6]. It is suggested that they came from a region near Mirdita or Kruja, in North Albania.

Victories with Albania

Dimas became triple Champion of Albania in 1989 and 1990 in the 82.5 kg category. In 1990 he was also accorded the title "Master of Sports" by the Albanian government and the title "European Master" by the European Weightlifting Federation. He was part of the Albanian weightlifting team to which he made important contributions: the Albanian team ranked 3rd (after 1st placed USSR and 2nd placed Bulgaria) in the 69th Evropean Weightlifting Championship (in Alborg, Denmark May 1990), and 2nd (after 1st placed Bulgaria) for the European Cup for nations (in Antalia, Turkey, December 1990).[7]

Victories with Greece

Dimas emigrated to Greece in 1991, at age 20. He acquired Greek citizenship in 1992, after renouncing his Albanian citizenship,[7] and first competed under the Greek flag in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class.

During his 202.5 kg lift at the clean and jerk, he shouted "Για την Ελλάδα ρε γαμώτο!" (transliterated "Yia tin Ellada re gamoto!"; meaning "For Greece, dammit!"), thus dedicating his victory to Greece. This is the catchphrase with which he is most associated in Greece.

At a time when Greek success at the Olympics was limited, he and Voula Patoulidou (the surprise gold medalist at the 100m hurdles) became instant national heroes. They were greeted as such on their return to Greece at a grand ceremony attended by more than 100,000 people at the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. His birthplace gave rise to his nickname "The Greek Lion of Himara". His outstanding number of Olympic Gold Medals created another nickname "Midas".

Characteristic of his self-confidence was his tendency to keep the weights lifted after the buzzer had sounded so that the crowd could take photographs.

With the 1993 and 1995 World titles under his belt, Dimas was the favorite to win Olympic Gold in the 83 kg class at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was the flagbearer of the Greek Olympic team. He won the event with two new World Records.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won yet another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of just three weightlifters at that time to have won three Olympic gold medals, the others being Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (like Süleymanoğlu, a Bulgaria-born Turk) would become the fourth in 2004.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Dimas was again chosen as Greek flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dimas was recovering from knee surgery and a hurt wrist and was not expected to compete in these Olympics, but he came away with a bronze medal in the 85 kg class, becoming only the fourth weightlifter in history to win a medal at four different Olympic Games and only the third to win them successively four times, thus cementing his status as a national hero in Greece.

After earning the bronze medal he signalled his retirement by leaving his shoes on the platform, while the appreciative Greek crowd gave him a standing ovation.[1]

In June 2008, Dimas became vice-president,[8] and in October 2008 president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation.[9]

Personal life

Pyrros Dimas is married to Anastasia Sdougkou, a former Greek National Television (ERT) sports reporter. Together they have four children, Eleni (b. 1995), Victor (b. 1998), Maria (b. 2000), and Nickolas (b.2009). He returned to visit Albania, the country where he was born and that launched him in the international arena 17 years later, in 2008.[10][11]

Career bests

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b "Pyrros DIMAS - The most successful weightlifter". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  2. ^ [[1]][[2]]
  3. ^ [[3]]
  4. ^ [[4]]
  5. ^ [[5]]
  6. ^ "Past Olympics Athletes >> Pyrros Dimas". AFP. ESPN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "Who was the Albanian Pirro Dhima in Albania (in Albanian "CILI ISHTE SHQIPTARI PIRRO DHIMA NË SHQIPËRI?"" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  8. ^ "Board of Directors Milestones". Hellenic Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  9. ^ "Pyrros Dimas carries weight of rebuilding his sport". Kathimerini. 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-12-15. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ http://www.albaniasite.net/sociale/pirro-dhima-flet-akoma-si-tirons.html
  11. ^ http://www.parajsa.com/sport/55-pirrodhima.html
  12. ^ "Dimas Pyrros (GRE)". Database Weightlifting. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
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