Pyrros Dimas

Background

Dimas was born in Himar,, Albania, to ethnic Greek parents. He started the sport at 11 and at 14 ranked second in Albania for the Category of Pioniers (until 14 years old).

Victories with Albania

Dimas became triple Champion of Albania in 1989 and 1990 in the 82.5 kg category. In 1990 he was also accorded the title "Master of Sports" by the Albanian government and the title "European Master" by the European Weightlifting Federation. He was part of the Albanian weightlifting team to which he made important contributions: the Albanian team ranked 3rd (after 1st placed USSR and 2nd placed Bulgaria) in the 69th Evropean Weightlifting Championship (in Alborg, Denmark May 1990), and 2nd (after 1st placed Bulgaria) for the European Cup for nations (in Antalia, Turkey, December 1990).

Victories with Greece

Dimas emigrated to Greece in 1991, at age 20. He acquired Greek citizenship in 1992, after renouncing his Albanian citizenship, and first competed under the Greek flag in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class.

During his 202.5 kg lift at the clean and jerk, he shouted " !" (transliterated "Yia tin Ellada re gamoto!"; meaning "For Greece, dammit!"), thus dedicating his victory to Greece. This is the catchphrase with which he is most associated in Greece.

At a time when Greek success at the Olympics was limited, he and Voula Patoulidou (the surprise gold medalist 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".

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.

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 Sleymanolu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (like Sleymanolu, 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.

After earning the bronze medal he signalled his retirement by leaving his shoes on the platform, while the appreciative Greek crowd gave him a standing ovation.

In June 2008, Dimas became vice-president, and in October 2008 president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation.

Personal life

Pyrros Dimas is married to Anastasia Sdougkou, a former Greek National Television (ERT) sports reporter. Together they have four children, Eleni (b. 1995), Victor (b. 1998), Maria (b. 2000), and Nickolas (b.2009). He returned to visit Albania, the country where he was born and that launched him in the international arena 17 years later, in 2008.

Career bests

Snatch: 180.5 kg 1999 in Athen in the class to 85 kg.

Clean and jerk: 215.0 kg 2000 Summer Olympics in the class to 85 kg.

Total: 392.5 kg 1996 Summer Olympics in the class to 83 kg.

Notes and references

^ a b "Pyrros DIMAS - The most successful weightlifter". International Olympic Committee. http://www.olympic.orguk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?par_i_id=64877. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 

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^ "Past Olympics Athletes >> Pyrros Dimas". AFP (ESPN). 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?athlete=3168. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 

^ a b c "Who was the Albanian Pirro Dhima in Albania (in Albanian "CILI ISHTE SHQIPTARI PIRRO DHIMA N SHQIPRI?"" (in albanian). http://www.giovanniarmillotta.it/albania/sport/dhima.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 

^ "Board of Directors Milestones". Hellenic Weightlifting Federation. http://www.weightlifting.gr/English/frames/Board02.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-15. 

^ "Pyrros Dimas carries weight of rebuilding his sport". Kathimerini. 2008-10-13. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/sport_1KathiLev&xml;/&aspKath;/sports.asp&fdate=13/10/2008. Retrieved 2008-12-15. 

^ http://www.albaniasite.net/sociale/pirro-dhima-flet-akoma-si-tirons.html

^ http://www.parajsa.com/sport/55-pirrodhima.html

^ "Dimas Pyrros (GRE)". Database Weightlifting. http://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbgwh/daten.php?spid=1E5D6E794B9F49CDB9FFE8446034DA06. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 

External links

Official Homepage of Pyrros Dimas

Pyrros Dimas at Lift Up

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Olympic Champions in Weightlifting Light heavyweight

19201992: 7582.5 kg, 1996: 7683 kg, 20002008: 7785 kg

1920: Ernest Cadine 1924: Charles Rigoulot 1928: El Sayed Nosseir 1932+1936: Louis Hostin 1948: Stanley Stanczyk 1952: Trofim Lomakin 1956: Tommy Kono 1960: Ireneusz Paliski 1964: Rudolf Plyukfelder 1968: Boris Selitsky 1972: Leif Jenssen 1976: Valery Shary 1980: Yurik Vardanian 1984: Petre Becheru 1988: Israil Arsamakov 1992+1996+2000: Pyrros Dimas 2004: Giorgi Asanidze 2008: Lu Yong

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Northern Epirus region & Greek culture in Albania

History

Ancient Epirus (Chaones Dassaretae) Despotate of Epirus Revolt of 1854 Revolt of 1878 Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus Protocol of Corfu Northern Epirus Liberation Front

Society and Culture

Greeks in Albania Polyphonic song of Epirus Himariote dialect

Settlements

Ancient: Phoenice Vouthroton Apollonia Thronium Amantia Antigonia Antipatreia Dimale Oricum Chemara Onchesmos Avlon

Modern: Gjirokastr Korca Himara Delvin Sarand Tepelen Permet Leskovik Ersek Moscopole Bilisht Berat1 Vlor1

Organizations

Omonoia Panepirotic Federation of America Panepirotic Federation of Australia Unity for Human Rights Party

Individuals

Benefactors: Alexandros Vasileiou Apostolos Arsakis Evangelos and Konstantinos Zappas Ioannis Pangas Georgios and Simon Sinas Christakis Zografos Politics: Georgios Christakis-Zografos Military/Resistance: Michail Spyromilios Konstantinos Lagoumitzis Spyros Spyromilios Dimitrios Doulis Sports: Pyrros Dimas

1Cities with Greek-speaking communities, outside the political definition of 'Northern Epirus'.

Categories: 1971 births | Living people | People from Vlor District | Greek weightlifters | Olympic weightlifters of Greece | Weightlifters at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Weightlifters at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics | Olympic gold medalists for Greece | Olympic bronze medalists for Greece | Northern EpirotesHidden categories: Articles containing Greek language text

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