Twelve-year-old Areti Spyridou made history yesterday [1], [2] by competing in the 100m backstroke, becoming the youngest Greek athlete to ever participate in the Paralympic Games.
Spyridou competed in the second qualifying heat of the 100m backstroke S2, finishing 6th in her heat and 10th overall with a time of 3 minutes, 45.65 seconds.
Born on February 20, 2012, she is also scheduled to compete in the 50m backstroke S2 on August 31. She represents the “Irodikos” Athletic Club for People with Disabilities, founded in Komotini in 2006.
This morning, Alexandros Stylianos Lergios was eliminated from the 100m freestyle S5 final after finishing 5th in his qualifying heat.
The 25-year-old Zakia Khudadadi also made history by becoming the first athlete from the Paralympic Refugee Team to win a medal.
Khudadadi earned the bronze medal in the women’s 47kg Taekwondo category after defeating Ekinci Nurcihan from Turkey.
Born without one forearm, she began secretly training in Taekwondo at the age of 11 in a hidden gym in her hometown of Herat, in western Afghanistan.
After the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, she fled Afghanistan and eventually settled in Paris, where she was given the opportunity to compete for the refugee team at this year’s Paralympic Games.
Something New Is Coming
