No medals, but hope
Louis Tsatoumas provided the Greek track and field team’s best performance at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow over the weekend by ending fourth in the men’s long jump. Tsatoumas, competing on Saturday, registered an 8.10-meter performance, 9 centimeters short of what would have earned the young athlete a bronze medal. «I’d estimated that a jump of between 8.10 and 8.15 meters would have given me a medal. I did 8.10, but other athletes were in form on that day,» said Tsatoumas. «I was aiming for a place among the top six. The result satisfies me completely,» he added. Ghana’s Ignisious Gaisah won the gold with an 8.30-meter performance. Irving Saladino of Panama won the silver with an 8.29-meter leap, while Italy’s Andrew Howe settled for the bronze, registering 8.19 meters. Tsatoumas was one of just four Greek athletes, all upcoming, who were sent to the Moscow meet. All had qualified with performances good enough to land them finals berths. A further two had qualified but missed due to injury or suspension. Commenting ahead of the weekend meet, local federation officials said the Greek team was more focused on three major international outdoor competitions later this year, two of them to take place in Greece. Stella Pilatou, who competed in the women’s long jump final yesterday, ended eighth with a 6.50-meter jump. «I was expecting a better result. I was well and looking for a big jump. I blame it on the false jumps – they were big, but don’t count… I took a risk, and it didn’t pan out,» said Pilatou. Teammate Dimitris Tsiamis also ended eighth in the men’s triple jump with a 16.94-meter performance.
