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Antigoni Drisbioti: Support from Melbourne Greeks will help me achieve my Olympics dream

The Greek Herald
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Antigoni Drisbioti: Support from Melbourne Greeks will help me achieve my Olympics dream

By Bill Roumeliotis.

Antigoni Drisbioti was born in Karditsa, Greece on March 21, 1984. She is a Greek race walker with important distinctions at the international level, including being European champion in 2022 in the 20 kilometre and 35 kilometre walking races.

She is considered to be one of the best Greek race walkers of all time, having also placed first in the 35km walk at the 2021 European Cup of Pontebrandi, fourth in the 35km walk at the 2022 Oregon World Championships, sixth in the 20km walk at the 2022 Oman World Cup, eight place in the 20km walk at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Antigoni also represented Greece at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she finished 15th.

Currently, Antigoni is in Victoria, Australia to take part in the Chemist Warehouse Australian 20km Race Walk Championships at Fawkner Park in South Yarra. She spoke with The Greek Herald during her visit.

Antigoni (right) with The Greek Herald sport reporter, Bill Roumeliotis. Photo: The Greek Herald / Bill Roumeliotis.

How did you becoming involved in athletics?

I was a very active child since I was little, I wanted to be involved in many things. I did swimming at first, but I was not good at swimming and I decided to do something else to enter the sports world. So I entered athletics and completely by chance one day I walked fast to catch a tennis ball.

Fortunately for me, I was noticed at that moment by coach Thanasis Deligiannis. He noticed my style, my speed and told me I had a future in race walking. This sport didn’t attract me at first. Nevertheless, thanks to Deligiannis’ persistence, I decided to try. A test that ultimately resulted in my being Greek champion two years later.

In Munich you won two Pan-European gold medals in four days. How did this success come about?

With the first gold medal I won, I was coming from fourth place in the 35km walk at the World Championships in Oregon in 2022. 20 days later, I had more confidence in the 35km, which is my main event. So starting the race I knew that I wanted to win. All the athletes knew I was the favourite and they were chasing me. I was leading the race and everything went well. It was my day to win the gold medal.

Antigoni in Melbourne. Photo: The Greek Herald / Bill Roumeliotis.
Antigoni reading The Greek Herald newspaper. Photo: The Greek Herald / Bill Roumeliotis.

Four days later, I decided on my own to compete in the 20 km without the encouragement of my family and my coach. I just wanted to compete. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t aim for the medal and felt no stress – a great advantage for an athlete to compete without the pressure of being the favourite.

I realised I could win when, from the beginning, I was constantly in 10th place, walking comfortably and not pushing myself. I knew that I would be in the top seven as I knew that some of the athletes who were leading would not be able to hold on and would be left behind. Then I saw the athletes in the lead were not feeling well, unlike me who had not raced fast at first. After a few kilometres, when I was feeling really good and I saw that the leaders of the group were not pulling too far ahead, I developed more speed and did the best race of my life. I will never forget it because it gave me my second gold medal at the European Athletics Championships.

How do you motivate yourself to never give up despite the challenges you face?

I am one of those people who gets strength from difficulties. There are no obstacles, only an injury can bring me down. At this moment, I have people by my side who support me in every effort, and that is what I need and it strengthens me.

Photo: The Greek Herald / Bill Roumeliotis.

When you are at the start of a long distance race, do you think about how the time will pass?

Indeed, this is how I plan the race in my mind days before. I look at every five kilometres and how I will manage the race because the 20km and 35km’s are long races lasting 1.5 to 3 hours. You have to be very focused.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m a girl who works a lot. When I don’t have work, I like to go out with friends. When I’m in Athens, I like to have fun, go out with friends to drink a beer and eat a good meal. When I’m in my hometown of Karditsa, I like to be with my family and do my work.

Do you have a message for the Greek community in Melbourne?

Come down to Fawkner Park in South Yarra to enjoy a sport with a lot of suspense, it will be a very interesting race for me. It is very important as I chase the time that will qualify me for the Olympic Games. I want the Greeks close to me so I can achieve my goal.

Greece and the UK sign deal to strengthen defence partnership

The Greek Herald
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Greece and the UK sign deal to strengthen defence partnership

Greece and the United Kingdom have signed a new defence and security agreement, targeting closer collaboration to benefit each country’s military.

Greece’s Minister for National Defence, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, signed the Joint Vision Statement (JVS) with UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, on a visit to the UK.

The visit included a Guard of Honour in London and a tour of HMS Diamond, a Royal Navy destroyer at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth.

The JVS highlights the shared determination of Greece and the UK to work together to enhance resilience against all security threats and challenges in the Euro-Atlantic area.

To further develop the UK-Greek relationship, an annual ‘Roadmap’ outlining the defence cooperation priorities will be agreed each year.

“Greece is our long-standing NATO ally and defence partner and I am delighted to welcome Nikos Panagiotopoulos,” Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said after the visit.

“This new joint defence and security agreement will promote greater UK-Greece collaboration and defence cooperation, helping us tackle shared security threats and challenges in the Euro-Atlantic.”

To address new threats and challenges, Greece and the UK will look to exploit new opportunities for collaboration, including enhancing the effectiveness and interoperability of the Armed Forces, and improving capabilities provided to NATO.

Building on a successful history of capability collaboration, the nations will also work together to develop innovative solutions for future equipment needs, maximising military interoperability, and reducing acquisition and support costs.

Source: UK Government.

Greek team rescue 6-year-old girl from rubble in Turkey

The Greek Herald
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Greek team rescue 6-year-old girl from rubble in Turkey

Greek rescuers freed a 6-year-old girl from the rubble of her home in the city of Iskenderun in Turkey’s Hatay province on Tuesday.

According to Ekathimerini, the Greek team wasn’t able to save the girl’s 7-year-old sister, who was also trapped under the rubble.

Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, hailed the efforts of the Greek rescue team on Twitter.

“Images that fill us with pain are followed by images that fill us with hope. We respect the superhuman efforts of the rescue teams. Greeks and Turks are fighting side by side, together to save lives. We are grateful to them for what they did,” Mitsotakis wrote.

Both girls had been under the rubble since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks struck eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday.

Search teams and emergency aid from around the world have arrived in Turkey and Syria as rescuers, working in freezing temperatures, dig through the remains of buildings flattened by the earthquake.

Turkish Vice President, Fuat Oktay, said more than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey alone, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels.

Rescue teams evacuate a survivor from the rubble of a destroyed building in southern Türkiye. Photo: AP / Khalil Hamra.

Greek rescuers also extricated a 50-year-old father, member of a family of four, who was trapped under a staircase.

So far, the death toll from the earthquake has surpassed 6,000 people and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a disaster zone in the ten provinces struck, imposing a three-month state of emergency.

Victoria’s Greek community celebrate Hellenism with paniyiri at Rye

The Greek Herald
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Victoria’s Greek community celebrate Hellenism with paniyiri at Rye

The Federation of Greek Elderly Citizen Clubs of Melbourne and Victoria held a traditional paniyiri at Rye Foreshore on Sunday to belatedly celebrate Australia Day.

In a Facebook post, the Federation thanked everyone for attending the paniyiri to celebrate multiculturalism and “the country we made our second home.”

The paniyiri was a display of entertainment with traditional Greek dancing, local pop-up stalls, as well as food and drinks trucks.

In attendance at the event was also a number of official guests including the Mayor of Mornington Council, Steve Holland, and Napien County MP Sam Grooth.

George Georgiadis appointed to re-established Brand SA Board

The Greek Herald
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George Georgiadis appointed to re-established Brand SA Board

Co-Founder of Never Never Distilling Co, George Georgiadis, is among a leading group of passionate South Australians appointed to the re-established Brand SA Board and will promote the state to the world.

Mr Georgiadis and long-time friends, Tim Boast and Sean Baxter, left established careers in 2017 to launch Never Never Distilling Co. in the South Australian wine region of McLaren Vale.

The distillery now has more than 40-odd staff split between manufacturing, hospitality and exports, and the business has become a formidable name in Australia’s spirits market.

Other born-and-bred members of the Brand SA Board with strong local ties include:

  • Callum Hann acclaimed chef, owner of city restaurant Eleven, and director of Sprout and Dietary Hawk;
  • Rebecca Morse, award-winning journalist, news and SAFM radio presenter;
  • Franklin dos Santos, CEO of Foodland Supermarkets Australia; and
  • Jade Torres, Director of Pwerle Aboriginal Art Gallery, and proud Alyawarre woman and artist;

The new board members are widely recognised advocates for South Australia and will bring individual knowledge, skills and industry expertise to help support local businesses grow.

L-R: Tim Boast, Sean Baxter & George Georgiadis. Photo: Cocktails and Bars.

The appointed members have diverse backgrounds in food and beverage, tourism, arts, media, retail and entrepreneurship and are all committed to building SA’s global reputation and championing our products, produce, services and experiences.

Brand SA is now a dedicated agency within the Department of Trade and Investment, with about 8000 businesses registered and using the State Brand.
 
The Brand SA Board will be led by Chair Jane Jeffreys. Ms Jeffreys runs her own national consulting firm and has more than 30 years’ experience at iconic local organisations including the Adelaide Convention Centre and Port Adelaide Football Club.

The board will hold its first meeting later this month and will be tasked with championing Brand SA’s mission to protect and strengthen the state’s image and reputation while guiding customer choices to shop local.

The re-established Brand SA is already having an impact with its ‘Spend Your Support’ campaign launched to help River Murray businesses in need and encourage South Australians to buy directly from flood-affected communities.

‘Once you stop, it dies out’: SA Greek language school at risk of closure

The Greek Herald
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‘Once you stop, it dies out’: SA Greek language school at risk of closure

Berri Greek Orthodox Community (BGOC) language school in regional South Australia is at the risk of closure due to a decline in enrolments ever since 2022, according to ABC News.

BGOC president, Aphrodite Koutouzis, told ABC News enrolments were consistent between 2019 and 2021, but numbers dropped from 12 to seven last year.

She hopes enrolments will jump to 15 this year or else it will be ‘difficult’ to keep the school ‘active.’

Community Language Schools SA executive officer, Brett Shuttleworth, said he encourages anyone who can support the school to do so openly.

“You know the old saying, ‘You don’t appreciate something until you lose it’,” Mr Shuttleworth said.

Ms Koutouzis also encouraged the local Greek community in the SA Riverland to help the local language school.

She pointed out the benefits of studying Greek include being able to communicate with family and grandparents, as well as for travelling to Greece and for work opportunities.

“It helps to continue being able to speak the language because once you stop, it dies out,” Ms Koutouzis said.

Source: ABC News

$2 million boxing fight between George Kambosos Jr and Liam Wilson in the works

The Greek Herald
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$2 million boxing fight between George Kambosos Jr and Liam Wilson in the works

Plans for Greek Australian boxer George Kambosos Jr and Liam Wilson to compete in a $2 million super fight are underway.

The super fight will be one of the biggest since the Anthony Mundine and Danny Green blockbuster in 2006.

Kambosos Jr will be chasing a victory after losing his world titles against Devin Haney in 2022.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Wilson’s manager, Steve Scanlan, said: “We absolutely want George Kambosos” for the super fight.

“I think Liam showed he deserves a crack at George and this week, I will reach out to the Kambosos camp and we’ll begin discussions to put together a possible title bout,” Scanlan added.

“George is a Spartan warrior and Liam loves to entertain when he fights. It’s a fight the Australian public deserves to see.

“If Liam wins, it would really propel him into the mainstream. But the ball will be in George’s court if he wants to get a deal done with us.”

Kambosos Jr recently turned down the opportunity to fight American sensation Shakur Stevenson (19-0) and is weighing up a number of options for the right comeback, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Source: Daily Telegraph

READ MORE: George Kambosos Jr: ‘Raising both flags on the world stage is a true honour’.

Athens braces for more snowfall as severe weather front continues

The Greek Herald
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Athens braces for more snowfall as severe weather front continues

Greece’s capital city of Athens is bracing for more snowfall as the severe weather system ‘Barbara’ that hit Greece on Sunday continues to rage across the city.

This is the fourth time in five years snow has dusted the Mediterranean city, with frigid temperatures and snow spotted in 2019, 2021, 2022 and again this week.

According to new forecast data by the National Observatory of Athens/Meteo.gr, the ‘Barbara’ snowstorm will continue until Wednesday with new snowfall at low altitudes of the eastern areas, Evia and Crete, as well as with rain or sleet in the Aegean.

The Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator said it was on alert for power cuts due to the weather, and had placed over 150 people on call on Evia island.

Panathenaic Stadium. Photo: protothema.gr.

In Attica, the network operator had over 800 staff on call with special machinery and power generators, in addition to crews to handle trees that may fall on power lines.

On Monday night, intercity trains 62 and 63 running between Athens and Thessaloniki and the 887 train service between Kalabaka and Athens were also cancelled due to the worsening weather.

Turkey’s earthquake death toll soars as Greece mobilises to help

The Greek Herald
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Turkey’s earthquake death toll soars as Greece mobilises to help

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone to express Greece’s readiness to contribute to relief efforts after two deadly earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Monday.

During the phone call, Mitsotakis also expressed his grief and shared with Erdogan the condolences of the Greek government and people for the tragic loss of life.

According to Ekathimerini, Erdogan thanked the Greek Prime Minister for his solidarity and the immediate assistance.

Mitsotakis had already mobilised an EMAK disaster response team to assist Turkey with rescue efforts. 25 rescuers trained in searching for people under rubble, two rescue dogs and a purpose-built vehicle left Elefsina military airport for Turkey on Monday.

This support comes after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck south-east Türkiye and Syria on Monday, levelling buildings in both countries, and killing over 2,600 people and injuring over 11,000.

An aerial view of debris of a collapsed building after 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Osmaniye, Turkey. Picture: Muzaffer Cagliyaner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Another earthquake measuring magnitude 7.7 struck central Turkey following the initial quake, with the Syrian capital of Damascus also hit.

Erdogan said the first earthquake was the strongest since December 1939, when a magnitude 7.8 tremor struck the country’s north-east.

Source: Ekathimerini and ABC News.

Cyprus Community of South Australia holds ‘biggest ever’ Cypriot festival

Andriana Simos
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Cyprus Community of South Australia holds ‘biggest ever’ Cypriot festival

Over 5,000 people attended the Cyprus Community of South Australia’s annual Cyprus Festival over the weekend at Welland in Adelaide.

The festival took place over two days from February 5 – 6 and everyone in attendance, including a number of VIP guests and representatives from Greek organisations, enjoyed traditional performances by various local dancing groups.

There was also live music by two musicians from Cyprus, Michalis Levendis and Elena Andreou, and a variety of Cypriot cuisine on display at stalls. Food varied from kleftiko to koupes and loukoumades. Beer from Cyprus was also on the menu.

President of the Cyprus Community of SA, Andreas Evdokiou, told The Greek Herald the festival was the community’s ‘biggest ever’ and thanked the endless volunteers and sponsors for their support.

The festival was supported by the Government of South Australia, the City of Charles Sturt Council, Bank of Sydney and Specialty Foods.

“The Cyprus Festial has been organised as a way to promote and share our unique culture and heritage with the people in Adelaide and with the wider multicultural community,” Mr Evdokiou said.

“It has become a permanent fixture on the yearly calendar of events here in South Australia. So I am extremely proud of my Community for what they have achieved.”

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