Karalis

Long jump gold medalist Miltiadis Tentoglou on Thursday declined the Hellenic Olympic Committee's (EOE) offer to be the flag bearer for the Greek delegation at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.

Instead, Tentoglou expressed his desire to be the Greek flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The two Greek champions are also known for their humor and their tendency to tease each other.

So, after Miltos Tentoglou was awarded the gold medal on Wednesday afternoon, the two Olympians didn’t miss the chance to play with their medals.

As seen in the photos posted on Instagram by Emmanouil Karalis, the two friends posed in various ways, using the medals as they wished.

Emmanuel Karalis, who was also waiting to be awarded the bronze medal he won in the pole vault on Monday, stayed in Paris to watch his friend, Miltos Tentoglou, compete.

The Greek athlete was alongside the president of SEGAS, Sofia Sakorafa, and the coach of the gold medalist, Giorgos Pomaski, to witness Tentoglou’s impressive jump of 8.48 meters.

Emmanuel Karalis now holds his first Olympic medal.

With a jump of 5.90 meters, the Greek champion won the bronze medal in pole vault, making history in Paris. On Tuesday afternoon, the medal ceremony took place, and Emmanuel Karalis received his medal!

The Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the pole vault and the Paris Olympic bronze medalist.

Both were born in 1999. Emmanuel Karalis on October 20 and Modo Duplantis on November 10. The first is the fruit of the love of two people from Greece and Uganda, while the second has a father from the USA and a mother from Sweden.

Greek star Emmanouil Karalis won bronze in the pole vault final of the Paris Olympics on Monday night.

The son of a Greek father from Pyrgos, and a Ugandan mother, he won the silver medal at the 2019 and 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships and placed fourth at the 2020 Summer Olympics.  

This marks the 6th medal for the Greek delegation (the first in track and field) at the Paris Olympic Games, with the remarkable Emmanouil Karalis earning the bronze medal, a significant personal achievement.

Many members of the Greek track and field delegation had left earlier for France to complete the final stage of their preparation for the Olympic Games.

This was the reason they missed the opening ceremony, but today at noon, they also made their appearance at the Olympic Village.

The Greek delegation made its traditional entrance at the Olympic Games opening ceremony with flag bearers Giannis Antetokounmpo and Antigoni Drisbioti.

Greece's Emmanouil Karalis celebrates after the men's pole vault final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where he won bronze with a jump of 5.85m. Sweden's Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis successfully defended his world indoor pole vault title with a best clearance of 6.05m, while American Sam Kendricks secured silver with a best performance of 5.90m. [Reuters]