Eleftherios Petrounias secures ticket to Tokyo Olympics

·

Eleftherios Petrounias secured his place at the Tokyo Olympics after winning gold at the rings at the Doha gymnastics World Cup on Friday.

Greece’s Petrounias, who needed to win at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Doha, Qatar and do so with a score of at least 15.333, confirmed his spot in the Japanese capital with a 15.500 result, more than half a point ahead of second-placed Arthur Zanetti of Brazil.

The “Lord of the Rings”, as he is known, performed the most difficult routine of the eight finalists, receiving a 6.3 difficulty score, while also topping all competitors with the best execution score (9.200).

Petrounias suffered a setback in his qualification when he only finished fourth on rings at the 2019 Worlds after an injury-hit season.

That, coupled with Greece not sending a team, meant he would have to rely on the FIG World Cup circuit to book his Tokyo spot.

Ahead of the final qualifying event in Qatar, Petrounias said on social media that he was “so ready for the fight of my life”.

“Emotions are mixed, a lot of stress, scary pressure, anxiety,” Petrounias – who won European Championships gold in April – added then.

Photo: Getty images

“But what mostly prevails is the anticipation of the fight and the amazing feeling that I will feel after the result that will send me to Tokyo!”

Back in April, Petrounias won his fifth European title in Basel, Switzerland.

The three-time world champion beat Nikita Nagornyy, one of the favourites for multiple medals in Tokyo, to clinch his first championships title since 2018.

Now, he will get the chance to repeat as Olympic champion.

Source: Olympics

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

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

Advertisement

Latest News

Tsitsipas rallies past Muller to reach US Open second round

Stefanos Tsitsipas produced a dramatic turnaround at the US Open, overcoming a slow start against France’s Alexandre Muller.

Orthodox clergy and nuns vow to remain in Gaza City despite evacuation orders

The Greek Orthodox and the Latin Patriarchates of Jerusalem have condemned Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City.

From Melbourne to Greece: A Greek Australian’s first encounter with the homeland

Christina Savopoulos finally took her first trip to Greece — and found more than just stunning beaches and ancient ruins.

Multicultural Communities Council SA hosts inaugural oration delivered by Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos

The Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia held its inaugural oration, with the keynote delivered by Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos.

New plaque to commemorate Australian Navy on Lemnos

A new commemorative plaque will soon by installed on Lemnos commemorating the role of Australia’s Navy at the northern Aegean island.

You May Also Like

Firefighters battle to keep Samos migrant camp from burning down

A fire broke out just outside a migrant camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Samos Tuesday, causing concern for migrants housed inside the facility.

Dance instructors from Crete hold workshops with Sydney’s Cretan community

The Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW held dance workshops with dance instructors Sifi Viglakis and Eleftheria Manioudakis from Crete.

Turkey requests explanation from Greece over ‘impertinent’ slogans during military parade

Turkey has formally requested an explanation from Greece regarding slogans shouted by Greek Armed Forces personnel during a military parade.