Newsroom / CNA
The efforts of Pavlos Kontides and Denis Taradin in the sea present the most important chances of distinction among the representatives of the Cypriot delegation at the Paris Olympics.
At the same time, Milan Trajkovic will claim his qualification for the final of the 110m hurdles on Wednesday.
The previous days were marked by the great performances of Marios Georgiou in the horizontal bar and Elena Kulichenko in the high jump, while Olivia Fotopoulou in the 200m and Konstantina Nicolaou in skeet shooting also stood out.
Kontides in the medal race
Cypriot Olympic medalist Pavlos Kontides will compete in the medal race (where points count double) of the ILCA 7 (Laser) category for the fourth consecutive time today (16:43 CY), exactly twelve years after his first medal race (he was crowned Olympic silver medalist on August 6, 2012 in Weymouth, Great Britain).
The Cypriot sailor needs to finish in one of the top three places, hoping that Matt Wearn will finish in one of the bottom three to take gold. To finish first, Kontides needs to be seven places clear of the Australian, who is attempting a back2back since he won the gold medal at Tokyo 2021, by finishing seventh or higher.
Peru's Peschiera and Britain's Beckett are threatening Kontides for silver while the other three are only hoping for bronze. From 8th onwards they have no medal hopes.
Taradin continues his effort in Formula Kite
In Formula Kite, Denis Taradin is in 10th place after five races, while ten races are scheduled today and tomorrow.
It is important for Taradin to make as many races as possible and at least six more to erase his three worst placings. He and his coach are optimistic that in their first appearance at the Olympics, in Kiteboarding's premiere as an Olympic event, they could finish on the podium.
Taradin, world No 3, has 33 points, as many as Greece's Maramenidis, who is 11th. The top three are at 11-12 points. A more realistic target for Taradin seems to be the fourth place (21b) which would put him at the head of the second semi-final. For the finals to take place on Thursday (8/8) it is sufficient to complete just one more race over the next two days.
Trajkovic aiming for a national record to qualify for the final
Cyprus' flagbearer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Milan Trajkovic advanced to the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles with the second of his three best times in 18, while six others will qualify from the relays, which will be held on August 6.
The semi-finals will be held on August 7 at the Stade de France.
The Cypriot champion, who ran from second lane and had an excellent start to the race leading at the halfway point, finished fourth in the 3rd row with a photo finish and was waiting for the remaining two rows to finish to see if he qualified for the semi-finals.
At the end of the 5th row, the athlete of Antonis Giannoulakis qualified for the semi-finals of the event, having the second of the three best times.
6th place in the horizontal bar final for Marios Georgiou
One of the greatest successes in the history of Cyprus at the Olympic Games was achieved on Monday afternoon by Cypriot champion Marios Georgiou.
The 26-year-old gymnast performed an excellent programme in the horizontal bar final at the Bercy Arena in Paris, but a fall on the way out cost him a medal.
He took the 6th place with a score of 13.333, and became the 4th Cypriot athlete of all time to make a 6th place finish.
Elena Kulichenko took 7th place with a best jump of 1.95m
Cypriot champion Elena Kulichenko completed her Olympic trip to Paris with the 7th place in the High Jump final. Ryan Baily’s athlete made history at the "Stade de France" as the first Cypriot in athletics to compete in a Final, in her first Olympic Games participation.
In Sunday's final, Kulichenko cleared 1.86m on her first attempt, 1.91m on her second and 1.95m on her third, followed by three failed attempts at 1.98m, finishing in 7th place, as did Uzbekistan's Safina Sadullayeva, for whom 1.95m was her best performance of the year.
Olivia Fotopoulou took 23rd place in 200m
Olivia Fotopoulou finished 8th in the third 200m. semi-final series with a time of 22.98 and ranked 23rd overall in the event.
The Cypriot sprinter, with a morning time of 22.92, which equalled her season's best, achieved her goal of reaching the semi-finals of the event.
Fotopoulou started very well, was with the other athletes in the turn, but then fell behind despite the steady tempo she maintained until the end, with her performance providing a lot of promise for the future.
20th place in skeet shooting for Konstantina Nicolaou
Cypriot skeet shooter, Konstantina Nicolaou, was ranked 20th in the world in her maiden appearance at the Olympics.
Despite her excellent effort, Nicolaou failed to secure a place in the Skeet final at the 33rd Olympic Games, as she had 45 hits out of 50 targets on day two and with a total score of 116/125, she eventually placed 20th.
Nicolaou, who after the first day of the qualification was in 9th place with 71 hits out of 75 targets, on the second day, in the first pool she had 22 hits out of 25 targets, while in the second she had 23 hits out of 25 targets.
Marilena Makri finished 30th in ILCA6
Marilena Makri completed her second Olympic Games participation in 30th place with 195 points in the ILCA6 category in Sailing.
The 21-year-old sailor of the Famagusta Yacht Club was 19th in Monday's only race and won two places, 30th being the best position she has had in the race since its start out of a total of 43 competitors. At Tokyo 2020, Makri was 33rd.
62nd place for Andri Christoforou in the Road Cycling Final
After a great effort and with a time of 4:10:20, Cypriot champion Andri Christoforou placed 62nd out of 78 cyclists who finished the 157km Road Cycling Final at the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris.
This is her best performance at an Olympic Games.
The Cypriot cyclist, in her third participation in the Olympics proved that she is now rightfully among the elite of world cycling.
