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Pyrros Dimas

File:Pirrodhima.jpg
Medal record
Representing  Greece
Men's weightlifting
Olympic Games
	1992 Barcelona	-82.5 kg
	1996 Atlanta	-83 kg
	2000 Sydney	-85 kg
	2004 Athens	-85 kg
World Championships Total
	1993 Melbourne	-83 kg
	1995 Guangzhou	-83 kg
	1998 Lahti	-85 kg
	1999 Athens	-85 kg
European Championships Total
	1995 Warszawa	-83 kg
	1998 Riesa	-85 kg
	1992 Szekszard	-82.5 kg
	1993 Sofia	-83 kg

Pyrros Dimas (Template:Lang-el born in October 13, 1971) is a Greek weightlifter and three-time Olympic champion.

Background

Dimas was born in Himarë,, Albania, to ethnic Greek parents. He started the sport at 11 and at 14 ranked second in Albania for the Category of Pioniers (until 14 years old). Pyrros' first name has Ancient Greek heritage in the region that he was born associated with Pyrrhus of Epirus.

Victories with Albania

Dimas became triple Champion of Albania in 1989 and 1990 in the 82.5 kg category. In 1990 he was also accorded the title "Master of Sports" by the Albanian government and the title "European Master" by the European Weightlifting Federation. He was part of the Albanian weightlifting team to which he made important contributions: the Albanian team ranked 3rd (after 1st placed USSR and 2nd placed Bulgaria) in the 69th Evropean Weightlifting Championship (in Alborg, Denmark May 1990), and 2nd (after 1st placed Bulgaria) for the European Cup for nations (in Antalia, Turkey, December 1990).

Victories with Greece

Dimas emigrated to Greece in 1991, at age 20. He acquired Greek citizenship in 1992, after renouncing his Albanian citizenship, and first competed under the Greek flag in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class.

During his 202.5 kg lift at the clean and jerk, he shouted "Για την Ελλάδα ρε γαμώτο!" (transliterated "Yia tin Ellada re gamoto!"; meaning "For Greece, dammit!"), thus dedicating his victory to Greece. This is the catchphrase with which he is most associated in Greece.

At a time when Greek success at the Olympics was limited, he and Voula Patoulidou (the surprise gold medalist at the 100m hurdles) became instant national heroes. They were greeted as such on their return to Greece at a grand ceremony attended by more than 100,000 people at the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens. His birthplace gave rise to his nickname "The Greek Lion of Himara". His outstanding number of Olympic Gold Medals created another nickname "Midas".

Characteristic of his self-confidence was his tendency to keep the weights lifted after the buzzer had sounded so that the crowd could take photographs.

With the 1993 and 1995 World titles under his belt, Dimas was the favorite to win Olympic Gold in the 83 kg class at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was the flagbearer of the Greek Olympic team. He won the event with two new World Records.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won yet another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of just three weightlifters at that time to have won three Olympic gold medals, the others being Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (like Süleymanoğlu, a Bulgaria-born Turk) would become the fourth in 2004.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Dimas was again chosen as Greek flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dimas was recovering from knee surgery and a hurt wrist and was not expected to compete in these Olympics, but he came away with a bronze medal in the 85 kg class, becoming only the fourth weightlifter in history to win a medal at four different Olympic Games and only the third to win them successively four times, thus cementing his status as a national hero in Greece.

After earning the bronze medal he signalled his retirement by leaving his shoes on the platform, while the appreciative Greek crowd gave him a standing ovation.

In June 2008, Dimas became vice-president, and in October 2008 president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation.

Personal life

Pyrros Dimas is married to Anastasia Sdougkou, a former Greek National Television (ERT) sports reporter. Together they have four children, Eleni (b. 1995), Victor (b. 1998), Maria (b. 2000), and Nickolas (b.2009). He returned to visit Albania, the country where he was born and that launched him in the international arena 17 years later, in 2008.

Career bests

• Snatch: 180.5 kg 1999 in Athen in the class to 85 kg.
• Clean and jerk: 215.0 kg 2000 Summer Olympics in the class to 85 kg.
• Total: 392.5 kg 1996 Summer Olympics in the class to 83 kg.

Notes and references

1. ^ "Pyrros DIMAS - The most successful weightlifter". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
2. ]]
3. ]
4. ]
5. ]
6. "Past Olympics Athletes >> Pyrros Dimas". AFP. ESPN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
7. ^ "Who was the Albanian Pirro Dhima in Albania (in Albanian "CILI ISHTE SHQIPTARI PIRRO DHIMA NË SHQIPËRI?"" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2009-12-31.
8. "Board of Directors Milestones". Hellenic Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
9. "Pyrros Dimas carries weight of rebuilding his sport". Kathimerini. 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2008-12-15. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
10. http://www.albaniasite.net/sociale/pirro-dhima-flet-akoma-si-tirons.html
11. http://www.parajsa.com/sport/55-pirrodhima.html
12. "Dimas Pyrros (GRE)". Database Weightlifting. Retrieved 2009-07-27.

External links

• Official Homepage of Pyrros Dimas
• Pyrros Dimas at Lift Up

• 1971 births
• Living people
• People from Vlorë District
• Greek weightlifters
• Olympic weightlifters of Greece
• Weightlifters at the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Weightlifters at the 1996 Summer Olympics
• Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics
• Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists for Greece
• Olympic bronze medalists for Greece
• Northern Epirotes