Pride in Manolo and everything he stands for

As I write these first few lines, it’s 3:20 AM in Paris. From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, we watched an incredible final and then heard a great athlete discuss the most significant moment of his career (so far) in interviews. From 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM, I took a mandatory journalistic pit stop for a cold shower and some McDonald’s (I’m not ashamed of my indulgence) while trying to organize my thoughts on the events we witnessed today.

If the name ‘Manolo’ brings to mind a former AEK coach, then I’m sorry, but it’s time to lift the rock you live under. Our Manolo, Emmanouil Karalis, became a bronze Olympic medalist at 25 in pole vaulting with an impressive 5.90m jump, clearing all previous heights on his first attempt. This guy took a pole and cleared over 2.8 Giannis Antetokounmpos’ stacked one on top of the other without touching their hair, and he did it on his first try.”

From the press box, we had a perfect view of the competition, directly aligned behind the start of the runway, with a clear view of the packed stands of the Stade de France that pulsed with every jump. From the preliminary jumps, it was evident that he was in excellent form, clearing the bar by half a meter.

The competition began, and my heart raced with every jump. I recognized a familiar pattern in the reactions of both myself and my colleagues, with whom I’ve shared many experiences over the years. We push our chairs back to escape the microcosm of our laptops momentarily and fully engage with the moment, crossing our arms over our heads as if in prayer and jumping up, shouting with each green light. Out of the corner of our eyes, we see Greek flags waving wildly, and our gazes meet with those closest to us, each of us sharing the same excitement.

At the same time, my phone was constantly buzzing with notifications from various group chats. As a true millennial with a short attention span, I saw every message. Friends, acquaintances, family, and many people not involved in sports—from Athens and Piraeus, from a tavern on a Greek island, from a bar somewhere in the Ionian, and a rebetiko party in the Peloponnese—were watching this athlete from Greece and Uganda wrapped in the blue-and-white flag on their TVs and phones and sending me messages.

After moving past the initial ‘leave me alone, I have too much work to do,’ I became an observer and felt a deep sense of pride. Pride in Manolo and everything he represents, both intentionally and unintentionally; pride in my friends, acquaintances, and family who made an effort to watch and share this moment with me; and a bit of pride in myself for the small role I hope I played in connecting the island of Chios to Paris.

In sports, especially solo sports, comeback stories always carry extra significance. After finishing 4th in Tokyo in 2021, Manolo reached a low point at the European Championships in Munich in 2022, where he was relieved to be eliminated from the final because he simply couldn’t continue. He spoke in the mixed zone about the stress and mental health issues he faced and the healing break he chose to take. He succeeded in turning things around. He healed his wounds, made important decisions for the future, and followed his instincts. He asked his father, Haris, to officially coach him, and, together with top coaches Giorgos Pomaski (for the running) and Marcin Zepanski (for the jumping), he built his trusted team.

This year has been a masterclass in both planning and execution. He won the bronze medal at the indoor world championships, set Greek records outdoors and indoors with 5.93m, maintained consistency with major jumps, and today will stand on the most important podium, the Olympic one. I remember the name Karalis from the Athens Street Pole Vault in 2015 at Syntagma, where, as a 16-year-old, he made a significant impact with 5.24m

There are many talented individuals, but very few reach the top, and the journey is an endless rollercoaster. Having observed his entire journey thus far, I see three key factors in his success:

a) the unwavering support and strength from his family

b) his childlike enjoyment of his work

and c) the courage and belief he needed to possess to come back when he briefly lost his enjoyment. He truly deserves to see the world from an even higher vantage point, this time from the Olympic podium.

P.S Save your energy for Miltos Tentoglou; we need to find out which of the two athletes will end up buying the next round