Fani Psatha

Fani Psatha (Greek: Φανή Ψαθά; born February 2, 1976, in Psachna, Euboea) is a retired amateur Greek freestyle wrestler, who competed in the women's flyweight category.[1] Psatha has produced a full set of three career medals in different color, including her prestigious gold from the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain, and also finished tenth in the 48-kg division in Athens, when Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2] Psatha trained throughout her sporting career for Psachna Evia Wrestling Club in Chalcis, under her personal coach Ioannis Tabounidis.

Fani Psatha
Personal information
Full nameFani Psatha
Nationality Greece
Born (1976-02-02) 2 February 1976
Psachna, Euboea, Greece
Height1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubPsachna Evia Wrestling Club
CoachIoannis Tabounidis
Medal record
Women's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Greece
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place2005 Almería48 kg
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2006 Moscow48 kg
Bronze medal – third place2005 Varna48 kg

Psatha qualified for the Greek squad, as a 28-year-old, in the inaugural 48 kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Earlier in the process, she placed fourth from the 2003 World Wrestling Championships in New York City, New York, United States, but managed to fill up an entry by the International Federation of Association Wrestling and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, as Greece received an automatic berth for being the host nation.[2][3][4] Psatha began the preliminary competition early by pinning Tunisia's Fadhila Louati with only forty seconds left in front of the boisterous home crowd inside Ano Liossia Olympic Hall. She lost her succeeding match 3–5 in overtime to Tajikistan's Lidiya Karamchakova, and was immediately halted by Ukraine's Irini Merleni at the one-minute mark due to a 10–point superiority rule. Psatha placed third in the preliminary competition and tenth overall; he did not advance to the quarterfinals.[5]

At the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain, Psatha overcame her Olympic setback to edge France's Anne Deluntsch off the mat for the gold medal in the same class.[6]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Fani Psatha". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  2. Με 18 παλαιστές στο ολυμπιακό ταπί της Αθήνας [18 wrestlers in the Olympic mat for Athens] (in Greek). To Vima. 24 March 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. Abbott, Gary (14 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. in women's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  4. "Indian grapplers miss medals but earn Olympic berths". The Hindu. 17 September 2003. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  5. "Wrestling: Women's Freestyle 48kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  6. «Χρυσή» η Φανή Ψαθά στους Μεσογειακούς ["Gold" for Fani Psatha at the Mediterranean Games] (in Greek). Kathimerini. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.