Olympic Hero: Lefteris Petrounias Welcomed Home with Bronze Medal

A triumphant reception awaited “Lord of the Rings” Lefteris Petrounias at “El. Venizelos” airport.

Upon his arrival at “Eleftherios Venizelos” airport shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday (August 7), Olympic medalist Lefteris Petrounias was met with thunderous applause and cheers. The “King of the Rings” had just returned from the Paris Olympics with a third Olympic medal to his name.

As the Olympian emerged, draped in the Greek flag, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. Petrounias dedicated his third medal to his loved ones and emphasized the invaluable support of all Greeks.

“I feel very happy, proud, overjoyed, and a bit tired. I need some time to recharge my batteries. Many challenges and events came our way during this three-year period, but we overcame them and we’re here today,” said the 33-year-old multiple medalist in gymnastics.

“From the next day, I started sharing my thoughts with my coach about the next code, the next routine, so that we can win again and stay where we need to be. But in order to do that, I first need to rest my mind and body and return with the same enthusiasm, so that the successes can continue,” he added.

Reflecting on his thoughts after completing his routine, he said: “As soon as I landed and got stuck and couldn’t take a step, I thought ‘the Chinese are in trouble,’ but it didn’t work (laughs). My second thought was that I had secured a medal, because I was confident that the execution would put me in the medals. We got a bit nervous at the end because there was a Frenchman on home turf, but… it was asked of me and I delivered. Just like in Antwerp, it happened again yesterday.”

On the camaraderie within the Greek delegation, he said: “Papanikolaou was very anxious. This is the first time out of the three Olympics I’ve been to that there was such a great atmosphere within the Greek delegation. Something was done right, probably organizationally by the HCO, and the guys are great, most of them know what they were dealing with and how to handle it. They supported each other and celebrated each other’s successes.”

Finally, when asked to whom he dedicated his new medal, he replied without hesitation: “I dedicate the medal to my family and to the people who love and believe in me. The support and love of all Greeks is certainly precious to me and it helps me, but these are the first Olympics where my children understand what I do, and I dedicate it to them. I didn’t expect Vasiliki to make it all the way down there after the race, that’s why I was touched.”

Meanwhile, members of the national basketball team also landed in Athens, where they received a warm welcome for their outstanding efforts that ended in the quarterfinals of the Olympics.

The “house of gymnastics” at OAKA will be named after Petrounias.

Deputy Minister of Sports Giannis Vroutsis, who accompanied the Olympic medalist, stated: “With feelings of joy, honor, emotion, and great pride, we welcome back to our country today our great Olympian, world-class, our own Lefteris Petrounias. Lefteris, thank you from the Greek sports community, from the Greek state. Symbolically, for what you do for our country, for the great honor you bring us, for the emotion you give to the Greek people, the house of gymnastics, which will be housed in the iconic velodrome, will bear your name from December when it is completed, in the presence of the Prime Minister: Lefteris Petrounias. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”