Antigoni Drisbioti sets pan-Hellenic record in Melbourne and qualifies for Olympics

·

Antigoni Drisbioti took part in the Chemist Warehouse Australian 20km Race Walk Championships at Fawkner Park in South Yarra, Victoria on Saturday and won second place with a time of 1 hour 28 minutes and 12 seconds.

This race time is the limit needed for participation in the Paris Olympic Games and of course a new pan-Hellenic record, since it improves the 1.28.58 of Athena Papagianni from the year of the Athens Olympic Games.

The “golden” European champion is now focusing her preparation on the World Championships in Budapest, her big goal for the year, and at the same time laying the foundations for the Paris Games.

“It was purely a tactical race. We had talked beforehand with Jemima (née Montag) and we had been told about the match. Until the 15th kilometre we went together and then each one did her own thing,” Drisbioti said after the race.

Antigoni Drisbioti is on the right, number 17.

“I had trained very well all this time in Australia. Everything happens with regularity. It was a very good day for me today. The conditions were quite good, although it was a bit windy and humid. The temperature was at 20 degrees.”

Drisbioti chose at the end of last year to continue her training in Australia, in a camp with strong female athletes, and her decision fully justified her.

Antigoni Drisbioti with the greek flag.

“The preparation in Australia went very well and this was also shown in today’s result. I stayed focused on my work, I was in a very strong group with very strong athletes in excellent conditions and all this helped me achieve a great performance today,” she said.

Antigoni Drisbioti and Bill Roumeliotis.

The athlete returns on Wednesday to Greece in order to continue her preparation and set her competitive goals ahead of the World Championships in Budapest.

Drisbioti secured her third career Olympic Games after finishing 15th at the 2016 event in Rio de Janeiro and 8th in 2021 in Tokyo. Drisbioti improved on her individual time of 1.29.03 that earned her the gold medal at the European Championships in Munich. The winner ahead of Drisbioti was Montag with 1.28.00.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Australia stands with Greece: Prime Minister Albanese’s message for OXI Day

On the 85th anniversary of OXI Day, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shared a heartfelt message.

Democracy on the big screen: Youth shine at the 13th Greek Student Film Festival

13th Greek Student Film Festival - staged within Sydney's 30th Greek Film Festival - filled the cinema with laughter and plenty of Greek.

Panayiota Dimopoulos’ OXI Day artwork takes pride of place on The Greek Herald cover

Panayiota Dimopoulos from Oakleigh Grammar designed The Greek Herald’s OXI Day cover, capturing the shared history of Greece and Australia.

Greek and Cypriot leaders honour OXI Day with messages to Australia’s Greek diaspora

Greek and Cypriot politicians and diplomats have issued messages to Australia’s Greek diaspora ahead of the OXI Day celebrations.

Greek Film Festival wraps 30th year with a triumphant Sydney finale

The curtain fell on the 30th Greek Film Festival in Sydney on Sunday night with a sold-out screening of Athens Midnight Radio.

You May Also Like

Leaders of Greece and Turkey confirm positive relations at meeting

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkey's President Erdogan met in New York and confirmed their positive relations. Read more.

Uber settles class action lawsuit with Australian taxi operators for $272 million

An announcement has been made for Uber to pay $272 million to Australian taxi and hire car drivers for income and license value losses.

Sydney Olympic FC secures win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers

Sydney Olympic FC remain in the hunt for the Premiership after they secured a 3-2 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Popondetta Park.