Greece reached nine medals at the Paris Paralympics on Tuesday, September 3, as Thanasis Konstantinidis and Lazaros Stefanidis made the improbable “1-3” in the shot put F32 category, winning gold and bronze respectively.
Taking the green at the Stade de France, Konstantinidis climbed to the top with a new European record, bringing home Greece’s first gold in the 2024 Paralympic Games adding to the current tally (1 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze).
The seasoned athlete arrived in Paris with a personal best of 11.60 metres and a seasonal best of 10.56 metres. In the finals, he delivered an impressive series of throws: 11.17m, 11.57m, 10.94m, 11.92m, and a final throw of 11.93m, breaking the European record twice in the process.
Μια ακόμη εξαιρετική εμφάνιση στους Παραολυμπιακούς Αγώνες του Παρισιού από τον αθλητή μας Θανάση Κωνσταντινίδη, που αυτή τη φορά κέρδισε το χρυσό μετάλλιο, το πρώτο για τη χώρα μας στη διοργάνωση, στη σφαιροβολία F32, δίνοντας σε όλους μας μεγάλη χαρά! Όπως μας έδωσε και ο…
— President GR (@PresidencyGR) September 3, 2024
Stefanidis also showcased remarkable talent, achieving a throw of 9.84 metres to secure the bronze medal. He finished behind Konstantinidis and the independent Russian athlete Alexei Tsupkin, who led with a throw of 11.39 metres.
Meanwhile, the third Greek finalist Dimitris Zisidis threw a commendable 8.88 metres placing him sixth in the Paralympic final.
In the javelin event, Tania Keramyda took fourth place in the final of the F56 category with a throw of throw of 21.96 metres.
