Dimosthenis Michalentzakis

Dimosthenis 'Dimos' Michalentzakis is a Greek Paralympic swimmer who competes in S9 and S8 classification events. He won Paralympic gold in the 100m butterfly S9 at 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro [1] and Paralympic bronze in the 100m freestyle S8 at 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.[2] He was born in Alexandroupoli in 19/10/1998 and he has origin from Feres. He holds the world record in 200 meters freestyle in his category with a performance of 2:07:16.[3] The Municipal Swimming Pool of Alexandroupoli has his name.[4]

Dimosthenis Michalentzakis
Personal information
NationalityGreek
Born (1998-10-19) 19 October 1998
Alexandroupolis, Greece
Height183 cm (6.00 ft)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, Butterfly
ClassificationsS9, SM9, S8, SM8
ClubKotinos Alexandroupolis
CoachTasos Kallitsaris
Medal record
Men's para swimming
Representing  Greece
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly S9
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo 100 m freestyle S8
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2017 Mexico City 100 m butterfly S9
Gold medal – first place 2019 London 50 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place 2019 London 100 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place 2019 London 100 m butterfly S8
Gold medal – first place2022 Madeira100 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place2023 Manchester50 m freestyle S8
Silver medal – second place2022 Madeira50 m freestyle S8
Silver medal – second place2022 Madeira200 m ind. medley SM8
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2016 Funchal100m butterfly S9
Gold medal – first place2018 Dublin100m butterfly S8
Gold medal – first place2018 Dublin200m individual medley S8
Gold medal – first place2020 Funchal50m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place2020 Funchal100m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place2020 Funchal100m butterfly S8

Career

He started swimming at the age of 4 due to his disease which is obstetric paralysis in the right upper limb and he managed to pass all the swimming steps with great success. It is remarkable that Dimosthenis is the only Greek swimmer who swims also with the regular swimmers and succeeds to secure qualification limits for the Panhellenic Championships.

In 2014, he joined the national men's swimming team disabled athletes. At 2014 IPC Swimming European Championship in Eindhoven, he finished 4th in the 200m individual medley S9 race and 5th in the 100m butterfly S9, just 16 years old.

At the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, he finished 4th in the 100m butterfly S9. His greatest success, however, was achieved at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil, as he won the Gold Paralympic medal and set a new Paralympic record (59:27) in the 100m butterfly S9.

At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico City, he won the gold medal in the 100m butterfly S9 race,[5] while at 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships in Dublin he won two gold medals (100m butterfly S8, 200m individual medley S8).[6] In 2018, he also competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle S10 event at the 2018 Mediterranean Games held in Tarragona, Spain.[7]

At 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, he became world champion again, winning three gold medals in the S8 classification (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly).[8]

At 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships in Funchal, he won three gold medals in the S8 classification (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly).[9]

References
  1. "Michalentzakis, Dimosthenis". IPC. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  2. "Paralympic games: Bronze medal for Dimosthenis Michalentzakis". www.kathimerini.gr. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. "Εκπληκτικός Μιχαλεντζάκης με νέο Παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ και χρυσό μετάλλιο στο IDM Berlin". SportsAddict.gr - Αθλητικά νέα της Θράκης (in Greek). Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. "The new logo of Alexandroupoli Swimming Centre ' Dimosthenis Michaletzakis' unveiled". paralympicus.gr. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. "Χρυσός ο Μιχαλεντζάκης, το παλικάρι απ' τον Έβρο, στο Παγκόσμιο του Μεξικό". EVROS NEWS (in Greek). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  6. "ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟ ΧΡΥΣΟ Ο ΔΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΗΣ ΜΙΧΑΛΕΝΤΖΑΚΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΔΟΥΒΛΙΝΟ". tvthrakiotis.gr. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. "Men's 100 metre freestyle S10 Final Ranking" (PDF). 2018 Mediterranean Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  8. "Τρομερός Μιχαλεντζάκης! Τρίτο χρυσό μετάλλιο στο Παγκόσμιο". www.newsit.gr. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  9. "Third gold medal for Michalentzakis, bronze for Christakis in the European Para Swimming Championship". www.sport24.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.


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