Apostolos Tsagkarakis

Apostolos Tsagkarakis (Greek: Απόστολος Τσαγκαράκης; born February 19, 1982) is a Greek former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.[1] Regarding as one of Greece's most popular swimmers in a global standard, Tsagkarakis is a 13-time swimming champion, 12-time All-American honoree, and a 20-time national record holder in both freestyle and butterfly (50 and 100 m). He is also one of two Greek swimmers, alongside Spyridon Bitsakis, who trained for the Alabama Crimson Tide, under head coach Don Gambril, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.[2][3]

Apostolos Tsagkarakis
Personal information
Full nameApostolos Tsagkarakis
National team Greece
Born (1982-02-19) 19 February 1982
Athens, Greece
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight97 kg (214 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, butterfly
College teamUniversity of Alabama (U.S.)
CoachDon Gambril (U.S.)
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Greece
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Almería 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Pescara 4×100 m freestyle

Career

Collegiate career

Tsagkarakis attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on an athletic scholarship, and played for the Alabama Crimson Tide swimming and diving team under head coach Don Gambril from 2002 to 2007. While swimming for the Crimson Tide, he received a total of twelve All-American honors, and held school records in the 50-, 200-, and 400-m freestyle.[4] In his senior season, Tsagkarakis was chosen by the University to take part in ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's At-Large Teams, following his major breakthrough from the NCAA Swimming Championships.[5] In the spring of 2007, Tsagkarakis graduated from the University with a bachelor's degree in health care management.

International career

Tsagkarakis made his international debut at the 2002 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Riesa, Germany, where he finished outside the medals with a fourth-place effort in the 50 m butterfly (23.75).[6]

At the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Tsagkarakis failed to reach the top 16 in any of his individual events, finishing forty-sixth in the 50 m freestyle (23.42), and forty-ninth in the 100 m freestyle (51.73).[7]

When his nation Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Tsagkarakis competed only in the 50 m freestyle. He achieved a FINA B-standard of 22.90 from an Olympic test event at the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre.[8] Despite being delighted by the home crowd, Tsagkarakis came up short in second place and twenty-fourth overall by just 0.13 of a second behind Lithuania's Rolandas Gimbutis in 24.72.[9][10]

At the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain, Tsagkarakis helped out his Greek team (Apostolos Antonopoulos, Aristeidis Grigoriadis, and Andreas Zisimos) earned a bronze medal in the freestyle relay, posting a final time of 3:22.95.[11][12]

Tsagkarakis qualified for the second time in the 50 m freestyle, as a 26-year-old, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He posted a FINA B-standard entry time of 22.39 from the Akropolis Grand Prix in Athens.[13] He challenged seven other swimmers in heat ten, including four-time Olympian José Meolans of Argentina and 19-year-old Yoris Grandjean of Belgium. He raced again to second place by 0.18 of a second behind Slovenia's Jernej Godec in 22.39, matching his entry time in the process. Tsagkarakis failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed twenty-sixth overall in the preliminaries.[14]

Life after swimming

Apart from his sporting career, Tsagkarakis worked for numerous institutions between Greece and the United States, where he became a full-time intern for clinical operations at the University of Alabama Medical Center. He also volunteered for medical mission activities, including the Hurricane Katrina Relief program, and Cystic Fibrosis Fund Raiser, a project which aimed to help and treat patients who had been afflicted with cystic fibrosis. In the late 2000s Tsagkarakis established and organized Masters Dream Camp in Athens, together with his friend Andrea di Nino, who coached and trained an elite group of butterfly swimmers including Olympic silver medalists Milorad Čavić and Yevgeny Korotyshkin.

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Apostolos Tsagkarakis". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  2. Garcia, Gabriel (4 November 2005). "International competition awaits swimmers at 'Bama". The Daily Beacon. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  3. Robb, Sharon (10 December 2003). "Swim To Athens". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  4. "Swimming Duo Earn Academic All-America Honors". Alabama Crimson Tide. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  5. "Gaul, Wildman-Tobriner lead Academic All-America teams". ESPN. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  6. "Tide Swimmers Earn Bronze at European Championships". Alabama Crimson Tide. 19 December 2002. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  7. "Tide swimmers come up short at championships". Tuscaloosa News. 24 July 2003. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  8. "Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 7)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. "Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 7". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  10. Thomas, Stephen (19 August 2004). "Men's 50 Freestyle Prelims Day 6: Hall Splashes a Hot 22.04, Fastest Qualifier; Lezak Makes This One but Popov, Hoogie Bow Out". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  11. Alexopoulos, Dimitros (25 June 2005). "The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-06-25 – Three Greek Bronze Medals". Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  12. "Triple gold for Turkey at Mediterranean Games". Hürriyet Daily News. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  13. "Olympic Cut Sheet – Men's 50m Freestyle" (PDF). Swimming World Magazine. p. 1. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  14. "Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 10". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
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