THE Elizabeth Teltsidou had been promised a medal at European Championship of Zagreb and kept her promise even more, with her presence in the final and winning the silver medal in the -70 kg category.
Proving and demonstrating the stable competitive condition in which she has been since the end of October 2022 until today, the 7th Olympic champion of Tokyo, on the one hand, managed to conquer the medal that was missing from her rich palmare, on the other hand, she sent a message in all directions that she was and remains favorite and for Olympic medal in “Paris 2024”.
And surely she could even win the gold, if her opponent in the final, the Croatian Matic, was not playing in front of her audience, which “pushed” for Teltsidou to be charged 1-2 (questionable) remarks.
Telcidou advanced to the final after defeating Kakarević (Serbia) and Pedrotti (Italy) in the qualifiers and Batkerit (Germany) in the quarterfinals. There she was invited to face the World No. 1 and one of the main contenders for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in the French capital, Croatian Matic.
The past between them (4-0 in favor of the Croatian) seemingly tipped the scales in favor of Matic, who cruised to victory against the extremely combative Telcidou.
For Nikos Iliadis, the national coach, who today (26/4) has his birthday, the Teltsidos medal was the best gift… “This is my birthday present. The best gift from the best Greek athlete” said an excited Nikos Iliadis, who was the coach of all 12 medals that our country has won in European championships for men and women.
Summary of the Greek medals in European Championships
Tags: Elizabeth Teltsidou won silver medal European Judo Championship
