 Petrounias at the 2016 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1990-11-30)30 November 1990 (age 34) Athens, Greece | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Greece | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Dimitris Raftis[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Eleftherios "Lefteris"Petrounias (Greek:Ελευθέριος "Λευτέρης" Πετρούνιας,IPA:[elefˈθeri.ozlefˈterispeˈtruɲas]; born 30 November 1990) is aGreekartistic gymnast.[2] He is the2016 Olympic champion,2020 and2024 Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World champion (2015,2017,2018) and a ten-time (2011, 2015–18, 2021–25) European medalist on thestill rings (eight gold and two bronze). He was named theGreek Male Athlete of the Year, for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Petrounias has a degree in communications and marketing from theAthens University of Economics and Business. Besides gymnastics, he practicesparkour. He takes part in anti-bullying campaigns, as he was bullied himself when he was child due to his small size.[1]
Petrounias' debut major international medal came when he competed at the2011 European Championships inBerlin, at the age of 20. During the competition Petrounias won the bronze medal on the rings. He scored 15.675 during the final, behindKonstantin Pluzhnikov (15.850) andAleksandr Balandin (15.775) ofRussia.
At the2012 European Championships Petrounias placed fifth on rings. Throughout the year he won five medals while competing in the2012 World Cup series.
At the2013 European Championships Petrounias placed fifth on rings. At the2013 Mediterranean Games he won gold on the apparatus ahead ofİbrahim Çolak of Turkey andJavier Gómez Fuertes of Spain. At the2013 World Championships Petrounias placed ninth during qualifications and did not advance to the final.
In early 2014 Petrounias competed at the2014 European Championships where he placed sixth on rings. Later that year at theWorld Championships he once again placed sixth on rings.
In April 2015, Petrounias competed in the2015 European Championships inMontpellier, France. He won gold during the rings final, scoring 15.866 during the final - 0.300 points ahead of tied silver medalistsSamir Aït Saïd ofFrance andDenis Ablyazin ofRussia.[3] In June he competed at theinaugural European Games where he won gold on rings ahead ofNikita Ignatyev and Çolak.
In late 2015 Petrounias competed in the2015 World Championships inGlasgow. He qualified for the rings final in first place, scoring 15.900.[4] During the final, Petrounias won his firstWorld Title on ring with a scored 15.800;You Hao of China was the silver medalist, followed by bronze medalistLiu Yang ofChina.
In May 2016, Petrounias attended the2016 European Championships inBern, Switzerland. He qualified in first place for the rings final, scoring 15.700.
Petrounias was theOlympic torch relay originating torchbearer after its ignition at Olympia on 21 April 2016, and he has a further distinction of being the first Greek gymnast selected in modern Olympics torch relay history.[5]
At the2016 Olympic Games Petrounias won the gold medal onrings ahead ofArthur Zanetti of Brazil andDenis Ablyazin of Russia.[6]
In April 2017, Petrounias competed at the2017 European Championships at thePolyvalent Hall inCluj-Napoca,Romania. During the competition Petrounias secured his third European Championship rings title, scoring 15.433 during the final - above silver medalistCourtney Tulloch ofGreat Britain, who scored 15.066, and bronze medalistIgor Radivilov ofUkraine, who scored 15.033.
In late 2017 Petrounias competed at the2017 World Championships in Montreal. Petrounias successfully defended his World title on rings, scoring 15.433 during the final - 0.100 points aboveDenis Abliazin ofRussia, who won silver, and 0.167 points aboveLiu Yang ofChina, who won bronze.[7]
Petrounias won the gold medal on rings at the2018 European Championships inGlasgow despite ashoulder injury.[8]
At the2018 World Championships inDoha Petrounias successfully defended his title and earned his third World Championship gold on rings with a score of 15.366.Arthur Zanetti, the 2012 Olympic champion on rings, earned the silver andMarco Lodadio earned bronze.[9]
Petrounias competed at the2020 Olympic Games inTokyo, where he was also the flag bearer of Greek team along with Greek shooterAnna Korakaki.[10] He won bronze onrings behind Chinese athletesLiu Yang andYou Hao.[11]
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At the2022 European Championships inMunich Petrnounias won his sixth European title on rings, ahead ofAdem Asil andCourtney Tulloch.[12]
At the2023 European Championships Petrounias won bronze behindAdem Asil andVahagn Davtyan.
Petrounias competed at the2023 World Championships inAntwerp. He won silver on rings, once again sharing a podium with Chinese athletes Liu and You. As the highest ranking athlete on rings not part of a qualified team, Petrounias qualified as an individual to the2024 Olympic Games.[13]
At the2024 European Championships Petrnounias won his seventh European title on rings.[14]
Petrounias competed at the2024 Olympic Games inParis. He won bronze onrings behind Chinese athletesLiu Yang andZou Jingyuan.[15] In doing so, Petrounias became the first person to win three medals onrings at the Olympic Games.[16]
Petrounias won gold on rings at the2025 European Championships, tied withAdem Asil. In doing so he extended his record of continental titles won on the same apparatus to eight.[17] Additionally Petrounias, alongside Luxembourg gymnastCéleste Mordenti, was awarded the SmartScoring Shooting Star Award, an award which is presented to "a gymnast with an exceptional story in the spotlight, someone who is an inspiration for the future generation of gymnasts and the general public alike".[18]
Petrounias has been married to fellow Greek gymnastVasiliki Millousi since July 2019.[19] They have two daughters, Sofia and Eleni.[20]
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