Kargiotakis: “I sang our National Anthem as loud as I could full of awe and pride!”

Giannis Kargiotakis is the best Greek submission wrestling champion. The recent gold medal at the European championships was the only thing missing from his collection.

The Greek champion spoke on the website of the Hellenic Wrestling Federation and did not hide his joy!

Read the interview in detail

John Congratulations. You were crowned European champion. A very big success how do you feel about it?

Thank you very much. I feel great, after so many years of hard work, 2 silver medals, 2 bronze medals, and a silver medal at the World Championships..I finally won the gold medal.

After many years of hard work, you have acquired the gold medal that you have been missing so much from your rich collection. Your feelings when you heard the National Anthem?

Indeed, with a lot of patience and perseverance, after 20 consecutive years in the National wrestling team and years of hard effort, sweat, successes and failures, the gold medal came! I have been to the European Championship (2020 and 2021) and also to the World Championship (2022) in the grand final. You too can imagine how much I wanted it, expected it and believed it. Only pride can be felt by every athlete when the National Anthem of our country is heard in his honor, especially in the biggest Pan-European event.

So with my hand on my heart, I sang our National Anthem as loud as I could with awe and pride!

Submission Wrestling continues to grow. As the leading Greek athlete, how do you see the development? In this European championship we had another medal and a 5th place… !

Submission wrestling or Grappling (Gi, No-Gi) is constantly growing both nationally and internationally. It is no coincidence that UWW ranks Grappling as the fastest growing sport. In fact, about 2 years ago, he moved his committee from Turkey to Switzerland, to its headquarters, that is, where the Olympic wrestling styles are located. That says a lot. [ Επίσης σχετικά με τους κανονισμούς η UWW έχει κρατήσει το ΄΄παλαιστικό όρθιο΄΄ κομμάτι, δηλαδή πρέπει να πάρεις ρίψη ή κατάρριψη του αντιπάλου σου για να συνεχίσεις στο έδαφος. Αν ο αντίπαλος “πέσει ” ( τραβήξει γκουαρντ) μόνος του ,τότε πριμοδοτήσαι με 2 πόντους.] This is very basic for Olympic wrestling athletes who want to engage in this event and also basic for its spectacularity – evolution and development. So inside and outside the borders the development is rapid.

The Greek wrestling federation follows these rhythms and in recent years has been organizing Panhellenic championships. In fact, this year we also had qualification matches for the European Championship. There seems to be a demand. If this event is included in the official program of the Olympic games, (which it will be soon in my opinion) it will be under the auspices of United World Wrestling and not under the guise of other behemoth world federations.. Keep it!

Regarding now, the leading Greek athlete, I have the following to say: My dream has been since the age of 8 when I started freestyle wrestling to become an Olympic champion. I didn’t succeed, but I got a lot of experiences and awards such as (3rd European Children’s 2005, 3rd Dan golov 2018, 15 years medalist in the Men’s Panhellenic Championships, 5th in the Cism Olympiad 2019 and 5th in the Cism World Championship 2017, 3rd European Police Championship 2016). But at the same time I was not dogmatic with one style of wrestling, but participated in many other styles as well. Thus came the first world medal at the Cism World Championship in 2018 in the style of Greco-Roman wrestling.

As well as with beach wrestling where I chased the gold but unfortunately I was in second place in the world in 2019. And so in all the styles of wrestling cultivated by Elop and UWW I have managed at least one international distinction.. .This I think, in my humble opinion, is really difficult!! So for me, all these wrestling styles are “brothers” to each other with a different identity. Many children who were not distinguished / did not get the points for admission to higher education from Olympic wrestling, have a second chance, from wrestling on the sand, where championships are organized by Elop, and claim admission to higher education with an increase of their molecules or even without examinations. The clubs, the coaches, all of us, first of all, must see the interest of our athletes, and not prevent them if they are asked to participate in these events as well.

I would also like to congratulate my teammates Nikos Polydoros 2nd in the Pan-European Gi Championship and Ilias Boukis 5th in the Pan-European Gi Championship, where all three of us belong to the historic club of Iraklis Peristeri. I would also like to congratulate the young people who are our future and who achieved equally very good distinctions: George Kougioumtzidis (European champion for 2 years), Ilias Pagalidis, Ilias Zairakis and their coaches.

What are your next goals?

My next goals, if all goes well, are my participation in the Panhellenic championship and then the World Championship in August in Warsaw. With training, focus and discipline, I will try to bring the best possible result.

Where would you like to dedicate this medal?

I dedicate the medal to my childhood friend Haris Pinakoulakis, who fought like a real champion for so many years with cancer and I know how much he loved this sport. That’s the real champion not me.