The photo above shows an ecstatic Athanasia Tsoumeleka crossing the line to win
the 20km Walk gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
It was Greece's first Athletics Gold medal of the Games and Athanasia's victory was
no doubt all the sweeter as it came in front of her home fans.
Her time of 1: 29.12 was also a new PB. The year before she had won the
European U23 20k walk Championships in Poland.
.
|
Womens 20km. Walk Final.
Olympic Games 2004.
|
| 1. Athanasia Tsoumeleka |
|
GRE |
|
1: 29.12 |
| 2. Olimpiada Ivanova |
|
RUS |
|
1: 29.16 |
| 3. Jane Saville |
|
AUS |
|
1: 29.25 |
| 4. Margarita Turova |
|
BLR |
|
1: 29.39 |
| 5. Melanie Seeger |
|
GER |
|
1: 29.52 |
| 6. Elisa Rigaudo |
|
ITA |
|
1: 29.57 |
| 7. Maria Vasco |
|
SPA |
|
1: 30.06 |
| 8. Liping Wang |
|
CHN |
|
1: 30.16 |
|
|
In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, she finished 9th in 20 km walk. After
the end of the Games, a urine sample she had given on August 6 tested
positive for erythropoietin, when subjected to a new test for CERA.
Tsoumeleka expressed doubts about the validity of the procedure, and
then announced her immediate retirement from the sport.
On April 29,
2009 it was announced that Tsoumeleka had tested positive for CERA in a
test on a blood sample provided during the 2008 Olympics. Her "B"
sample also tested positive for CERA. On November 18, 2009 the
International Olympic Committee decided to disqualify Tsoumeleka from
the Women's 20 km Walk event of the 2008 Olympic Games .
|