The Greek mountaineer and ultramarathoner Marios Giannakou climbed on Friday to the top of Everest, in the Himalayas.

Marios “conquered” the top of the world and posed proudly with the Greek flag at an altitude of 8,848 meters.

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“At dawn on Friday we reached the top of the world. I would like to dedicate this effort to Greece and to all Greeks wherever they are, to my family, to my girlfriend and to Jason who managed to reach the top but unfortunately did not manage to return…. […] “Thank you to those who didn’t believe me, they taught me to move mountains. Thank you to those who believed in me and taught me how to climb,” he wrote, among others, in his emotional post on social media.

The suspension from 8,848 m.
“At dawn on Friday we reached the top of the world. I would like to dedicate this effort to Greece and to all Greeks wherever they are, to my family, to my girlfriend and to Jason who managed to reach the top but unfortunately did not manage to return. The moments where I thought about leaving were too many, but I was ashamed at the thought of actually going back. Yannis – Marina, the photo of Ermis is where it belongs and we will do everything to implement the aerial rescue in Greece. It is our debt.

Also during the difficult times I was thinking about that day when I talked to the children from the Avlona Juvenile Prisons and promised them that I would upload the gift they made for me to the top. After that they should make their own attempt at the real Everest called life. So I had to take it one step at a time because they say a gram of practice is worth a ton of theory.

On the road called life, many will tell you that you cannot succeed, that you are not capable. They will laugh and may make you believe that you are indeed who they want you to be. The excuses in our life will always be more and we must take life into our own hands for which peak we want to reach.

This whole journey could not have been possible without the help of @breitling_athens_squad and @elena_ddss who believed from the beginning that we could make it, the beloved @minervaunderwear, the family of @columbiasportswear_gr and @konstantinos_kor who is by my side all these years, the fantastic @dimellocoffeeco team who said let’s just do it, @geisha_tuna who was there from the start and @laskaridisfoundation and Susanna who are always there. Also a big thank you to the most amazing team in the world that I’m proud to be a part of and it’s none other than the @deloitte_greece team. @mziouv thank you for everything and especially for your faith

Thanks to those who didn’t believe me, they taught me to move mountains. I thank those who believed in me for teaching me to climb.”