Greek Olympic champion Stefanos Ntouskos, 28, added another prestigious medal to his collection, securing silver in the Men’s Single Sculls Final at the European Rowing Championships on Sunday.
The Tokyo 2020 gold medalist delivered a powerful performance, crossing the finish line in a time of 6:44.90.
Ntouskos, a dominant force in the single scull, led the race at the 1,000-meter mark with a blistering split time of 3:20.24. However, he was ultimately overtaken by Belarusian rower Yauheni Zalaty, the silver medalist from the Paris Olympics, who surged ahead to claim the gold.
Despite the strong challenge, Ntouskos skillfully held off fierce competition from Romania’s Mihai Chiruță, who earned bronze, and Germany’s Marc Weber, who finished fourth, to secure his well-deserved silver.
Ntouskos, born in Ioannina, won the gold medal in men’s single sculls in rowing at the Tokyo Olympics. He pulled off a breathtaking Olympic stunner, setting a new record at the Games with his time of 6:40.45. Norway’s Kjetil Borch finished one second after Ntouskos to take the silver medal, and Croatia’s Martin Damir trailed Borch for the bronze.
This was Greece’s first Olympic rowing gold medal, as well as its first medal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ntouskos had also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the men’s lightweight coxless four, finishing in sixth place.
In November 2023, the Hellenic Olympic Committee officially announced that Ntouskos would be the first torch-bearer in the relay from Olympia to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games
The European Rowing Championships date back to 1893, the year after FISA (the International Rowing Federation) was founded. Over time, the competition grew in status and as it was not restricted to European countries, became regarded as the quasi-world championships.
The World Rowing Championships were commenced in 1962 and the last European Championships were held in 1973 as from 1974, the World Championships became an annual event. The European Championships were reintroduced in 2007 but with a narrower focus on Europe.
Greek rowing has consistently produced world-class athletes, demonstrating a strong program that continues to bring home medals from major international competitions.
Vasileios Polymeros won Greece’s first-ever Olympic rowing medal, a bronze in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls at the Athens 2004 Olympics with Nikolaos Skiathitis.
He followed that up with a silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in the same event, this time with Dimitrios Mougios. He also has multiple World Championship medals, including a gold in the Lightweight Single Sculls.
Alexandra Tsiavou & Christina Giazitzidou achieved significant success in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls. They won gold at the 2011 World Rowing Championships and a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics. Tsiavou also had earlier success winning World Rowing U23 Championships in the lightweight single.
Maria Kyridou & Christina Bourmpou broke the women’s coxless pair world record in the semi-finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, showcasing their immense talent. While they didn’t medal at that Olympics, their record-breaking performance put them firmly on the world map. They have also won gold medals at the U23 World Championships.
Antonis Papakonstantinou & Petros Gaidatzis earned a bronze medal in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls at the Paris 2024 Olympics, showing the depth of Greek talent in the lightweight men’s events.
