Anna Korakaki won Greece’s first gold medal of the Rio Olympics on Tuesday, beating her German opponent Monika Karsch by 8 points to six in the women’s 25 meter pistol final. Korakaki, 19, also won the bronze medal in the women’s 10 meter air pistol event at the Games on Sunday. It was Greece’s first medal of these Olympics.
The athlete, trained by her father Tasos Korakakis, was overcome by emotion as she took to the podium to accept her gold medal. “I’m the happiest person on Earth but I can’t find the words in English, in Greek or French to describe my feelings,” said Korakaki.
Having faced issues of internal conflict at the Hellenic Shooting Federation, Korakaki said “I cried listening to the national anthem, because at that moment, all the difficulties went through my mind.” She added “I really felt like I made it, against everybody, against every hard situation, against everyone trying to bring me down. That’s why I cried, it was a mental release.“
Within the space of a week, the young star has won Greece’s first medals in shooting for 96 years, a feat which she credited to “my will, my strength, my motivation from my family, my friends, and hard work.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Katerina Nikolaidou and Sofia Asoumanaki qualified for the double sculls final. Greece also has high hopes for gymnast Lefteris Petrounias and fencer Vaso Vougiouka.
Meanwhile, Korakaki is enjoying her moment of glory and planning on more success. “I’m dreaming of more medals,” she said, “more European medals, more World Cup medals, and, why not, more Olympic medals.”
