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Manolis Stefanoudakis
Manolis Stefanoudakis (Greek: Μανώλης Στεφανουδάκης born 5 April 1983) is a Paralympian athlete from Greece who competes in category F54 throwing events.[1] He won a bronze and a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, respectively.[2] Personal historyStefanoudakis was born in Heraklion, Greece in 1983. He suffered permanent spinal cord injuries after a traffic accident in 2007.[3] Athletics career Stefanoudakis took to para-sport after his accident as a way for improving his health.[3] He first tried our swimming, but a lack of facilities curtailed this option.[3] He took to athletics instead and by 2010 he was classified as a F54 athlete and was competing at meets.[3] Stefanoudakis represented Greece at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. There he competed in both the F54–56 Shot put and the F54/55/56 javelin throw, winning bronze in the latter with a distance of 27.37 metres.[3] As well as Paralympic success, Stefanoudakis has also won medals at both World and European Championships level. His most notable achievement in athletics outside the Paralympics was a gold medal in the T54 javelin at the 2015 Championships in Doha.[3] He was awarded as the Best Greek male athlete with a disability for 2015.[4] The Greek Olympic Committee designated him as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, along with Theodora Paschalidou.[5] References Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emmanouil Stefanoudakis.
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