Cyprus' double triumph: Historic gold in European Athletics and bronze in Olympic sailing

Cyprus celebrated a historic gold medal at the European Athletics Under-23 Championships held in Espoo, Finland from July 13 to 16. Elena Kulitsenko, representing Cyprus, delivered an outstanding performance in the women's high jump final, securing the gold with her highest jump at 1.91m.

Kulitsenko demonstrated her skill by successfully clearing heights of 1.75m, 1.80m, 1.84m, 1.87m, and 1.89m on her first attempts. With the bar raised to 1.91m, Greek champion Panagiota Dosi failed three times, while Kulitsenko cleared it on her second attempt, securing Cyprus' historic first gold medal in the competition.

Although Kulitsenko aimed to break the Cypriot record by raising the bar to 1.94m, her attempt was unsuccessful due to her overwhelming emotions. Nevertheless, she proudly celebrated her significant achievement, waving the flags of KOEAS (Cyprus Athletics Federation) and Cyprus. Greece secured the second position, and Polish athlete Viktoria Miaso won the bronze medal after clearing 1.87m on her first attempt.

Cyprus' Ambassador to Finland, Demetris Samuel, expressed his congratulations to the three KOEAS athletes and their trainers for their unforgettable three-day experience via Twitter, showing his support for the Cypriot mission.

In a separate achievement, Cypriot sailor Pavlos Kontides won the bronze medal at the Test Event of the 2024 Olympic Games held in Marseilles. The event, where the sailing competitions of the 33rd Olympic Games will take place in one year's time, saw Kontides secure third place in the medal race after initially being in fourth place until the 10th race.

The medal race was won by Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Matt Wearn, with British sailor Michael Beckett finishing in second place.

Kontides expressed his satisfaction with the bronze medal and acknowledged the tough competition he faced from Australian and British sailors. He believes that the lessons learned from this event will further improve his performance in the upcoming World Sailing Championships to be held in The Hague from August 13 to 20.

With his sights set on future challenges, Kontides is determined to continue his progress and perform even better in the World Championships and the upcoming Olympic Games, demonstrating his dedication and optimism as a Cypriot Olympian.