Pyrros Dimas

Pyrros Dimas ( _el. Πύρρος Δήμας, _sq. Pirro Dhima, born October 13, 1971) is a Greek [ [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?par_i_id=64877 International Olympic Committee] ] weightlifter and three-time Olympic champion.

Background

Dimas was born in Himara, Albania, to ethnic Greek [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Past Olympics Athletes >> Pyrros Dimas | year=2008 | publisher=ESPN | url =http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?athlete=3168 | work =AFP | pages = | accessdate = 2008-08-13 | language = ] parents, and emigrated to Greece in 1991. He first competed for Greece in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class. At a time when Greek success at the Olympics was limited, he and Voula Patoulidou (who won the gold at the 100m hurdles) became instant national heroes. They were greeted as such on their return to Greece at a grand ceremony attended by more than 100,000 people at the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. His birthplace gave rise to his nickname "The Greek Lion of Himara". His outstanding number of Olympic Gold Medals created another nickname "Midas".

With the 1993 and 1995 World titles under his belt, Dimas was the favorite to win Olympic Gold in the 83 kg class at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was the flagbearer of the Greek Olympic team. He won the event with two new World Records.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won yet another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of just three weightlifters at that time to have won three Olympic gold medals, the others being Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (like Süleymanoğlu, a Bulgaria-born Turk) would become the fourth in 2004.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Dimas was again chosen as Greek flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dimas was recovering from knee surgery and a hurt wrist and was not expected to compete in these Olympics, but he came away with a bronze medal in the 85 kg class, becoming only the fourth weightlifter in history to win a medal at four different Olympic Games and only the third to win them successively four times, thus cementing his status as a national hero in Greece.

Personal life

Pyrros Dimas is married to Anastasia Sdougkou, a former Greek National Television (ERT) sports reporter. Together they have three children, Eleni (b. 1995), Victor (b. 1998) and Maria (b. 2000).

Trivia

* In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, during his 202.5 kg lift at the clean and jerk, he shouted "Για την Ελλάδα!" (transliterated "Yia tin Ellada!"; meaning "For Greece!"), thus dedicating his victory to Greece. This is the catchphrase with which he is most associated in Greece.
* Characteristic of his self-confidence was his tendency to keep the weights lifted after the buzzer had sounded so that the crowd could take photographs.

Weightlifting career and personal bests

*Snatch: 185.0 kg
*Clean and Jerk: 213.0 kg
*Total: 392.5 kg (about 480 Sinclair Points)
*Olympic (full) Front Squat: 290.0 kg
*(Full) Back Squat: 330.0 kg
*Clean Pull: 230.0 kg
*Deadlift: 290.0 kg
*"Power" Snatch: 155.0 kg

References

External links

* [http://www.pyrros.gr Official Homepage of Pyrros Dimas]
* [http://www.iwf.net/ International Weightlifting Federation]
* [http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/l_galleryResult.asp?a_id=55 Pyrros Dimas at Lift Up]
* [http://www.weightliftingexchange.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=39&topic=1732.0 Pyrros Dimas - Hall of Fame at Weightlifting Exchange]

Highlights from Pyrros Dimas' Olympic Performances
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHqo0dLz4V8 Pyrros Dimas at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOWcrqOSevs Pyrros Dimas at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3E_LHqaNMQ Pyrros Dimas at the 2000 Sydney Symmer Olympic Games (with his characteristic style)]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5q5OAK6Ns Pyrros Dimas at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games]