Antonia Machaira

Antonia "Tonia" Machaira (Greek: Αντωνία "Τόνια" Μαχαίρα; born May 21, 1971) is a retired Greek swimmer, who specialized in sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.[1] She represented Greece in two editions of the Olympic Games (1996 and 2000), and later helped the Greeks capture the silver medal in the freestyle relay (3:48.74) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games in Tunis, Tunisia.

Antonia Machaira
Personal information
Nickname(s)Tonia
Nationality Greece
Born (1971-05-21) 21 May 1971
Chania or Athens
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubRetired
College teamSouthern Illinois Salukis (USA)
CoachRick Walker (USA)
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Greece
Mediterranean Games
Silver medal – second place 2001 Tunis 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Languedoc 4×100 m freestyle

Machaira attended the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, where she majored in nutrition and played for the Southern Illinois Salukis under head coach Rick Walker.[2][3][4] While swimming for the Salukis, she posted career bests in the 100-yard freestyle (50.64) and 200-yard freestyle (1:48.31), both of which stood for more than a decade in the school's record books.[5][6]

Machaira made her official debut, as a 25-year-old, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She failed to medal in any of her individual events, finishing fourteenth from a consolation final in the 200 m freestyle (2:03.19), thirty-first in the 100 m freestyle (57.92), and thirty-fourth in the 400 m freestyle (4:24.05).[7][8][9] In the 4 × 100 m medley relay, Machaira, along with Katerina Klepkou, Aikaterini Sarakatsani, and Marina Karystinou, finished twenty-second from the prelims in a final time of 4:24.80.[10][11]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Machaira drastically shortened her program, swimming only in the 100 m freestyle. She achieved a FINA A-standard of 56.17 from the European Championships in Helsinki, Finland.[12][13] She challenged seven other swimmers in heat five, including U.S. legend and top favorite Dara Torres. With one swimmer scratching out of the race in her heat, Machaira edged out Austria's Judith Draxler on the final lap to pick up a sixth seed by 16-hundredths of a second in 57.24. Machaira failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed twenty-fifth overall in the prelims.[14][15]

At the 2001 Mediterranean Games in Tunis, Tunisia, Machaira helped the Greeks captured a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay with a sterling time of 3:48.74.[16]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Antonia Machaira". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  2. "2011–2012 Southern Illinois Salukis Swimming & Diving Media Guide – Head Swimming Coach: Rick Walker" (PDF). Southern Illinois Salukis. Southern Illinois University. pp. 7–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  3. "Swimming champion Tonia Mahaira advises us on how to lose extra weight". Greek Reporter. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  4. "Three Salukis to compete in Olympics". The Southern Illinoisan. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  5. "2011–2012 Southern Illinois Salukis Swimming & Diving Media Guide – Women's Records" (PDF). Southern Illinois Salukis. Southern Illinois University. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  6. "Former runner, swimmer to compete for first time at Olympic Games for homelands". The Daily Egyptian. 25 July 1996. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  7. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 2" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  8. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 200m Freestyle Final B" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  9. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 400m Freestyle Heat 1" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  10. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 3" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 53. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  11. "Salukis set to shine in atlanta". The Daily Egyptian. 1 August 1996. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  12. "Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 5)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  13. "2000 LEN European Aquatics Championships (Helsinki, Finland) – Women's 100m Freestyle Semifinals" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  14. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 5" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 176. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  15. "Results from the Summer Olympics – Swimming (Women's 100m Freestyle)". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  16. "Résultats officielle des JM Tunis 2001: Natation" [Official results of the 2001 Mediterranean Games, Tunis: Swimming] (PDF). Tunis 2001 (in French). Mediterranean Games. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
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