Athanasia Tsoumeleka

Athanasia Tsoumeleka (Greek: Αθανασία Τσουμελέκα, [aθanaˈsia tsumeˈleka]; born 2 January 1982 in Preveza, Greece) is a Greek race walker, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Athanasia Tsoumeleka
Personal information
Born (1982-01-02) 2 January 1982
Preveza, Greece
Sport
Country Greece
SportAthletics
Event(s)20 km walk
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1:29.12
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2004 Athens20 km race walking

Until 2003 Tsoumeleka was a largely unknown athlete, and she only finished seventh at the World Championships that year. To everybody's great surprise, she won the Olympic gold medal race held in her own country ahead of Russia's Olimpiada Ivanova (silver) and Australia's Jane Saville (bronze).

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 6 August tested positive for erythropoietin, when subjected to a new test for CERA.[1] Tsoumeleka expressed doubts about the validity of the procedure, and then announced her immediate retirement from the sport.[1] On 29 April 2009 it was announced that Tsoumeleka had tested positive for CERA in a test on a blood sample provided during the 2008 Olympics.[2] Her "B" sample also tested positive for CERA.[3] On 18 November 2009 the International Olympic Committee decided to disqualify Tsoumeleka from the Women's 20 km Walk event of the 2008 Olympic Games where she placed 9th.[4]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Greece
2000 World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 4th 10,000m 47:10.96
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 9th 20 km 1:31:25 SB
2003 European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 1st 20 km 1:33:55
World Championships Paris, France 7th 20 km 1:29:34 NR
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 1st 20 km 1:29.12 PB
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland — 20 km DSQ
2008 World Race Walking Cup Cheboksary, Russia 14th 20 km 1:30:40
Olympic Games Beijing, PR China DSQ 20 km 1:27:54

References
  1. "Ex-Olympic champion tests positive for EPO". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 17 January 2009.
  2. Grohmann, Karolos (29 April 2009). "Beijing 1,500 gold medallist tests positive". Reuters.
  3. Wilson, Stephen (8 July 2009). "Backup samples positive for 5 Olympians". Associated Press.
  4. IOC Disciplinary Commission Decision (18 November 2009) "IOC source: IOC sanctions five athletes who competed in Beijing" International Olympic Committee



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