Judoka Thodoris Tselidis won Greece's first medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.
His bronze medal was the first for Greece in these games, the first in the last 12 years and the third in the history of judo at the Olympic Games after two medals won by Ilias Iliadis: in Athens (2004, gold in the 81 kg weight category) and London (2012, bronze in the 90 kg weight category).
In the final of the judo tournament in the category up to 90 kg, 28-year-old Greek athlete Thodoris Tselidis managed to defeat his Spanish opponent Tristani Mosaklisvili with a score of 1:0. He took the lead in the fortieth minute and calmly played the rest of the match, never questioning his superiority. His tactics allowed him to rise to the third step of the podium.
After winning the final, Tselidis could not hide his joy:
“I wanted to bring an even better medal to Greece. I am very happy because I kept my word and brought the medal as promised. This is a dream come true, this is the happiest day of my life.”
After the match ended, instead of celebrating, writes CNN Greece, Tselidis was quick to console his rival: “The opponent I played for third place is a very good friend of mine, we prepared and trained together, and I am glad that we both reached the Olympic medals.”
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