Greek champions Tsokas, Theodoropoulou, AO Ariston Peanias double in team fencing

On the first day of the Panhellenic Men’s/Women’s Duel Sword Championship at the OAKA, two new names were added to the list of Panhellenic female fencers. The 16-year-old Vassilis Tsokas (OXIF) and the 19-year-old Andriana Theodoropoulou won the Panhellenic titles for men and women respectively after difficult matches on a particularly demanding competition day.

In men, a total of 132 athletes from 26 different clubs took their place on the track. Already, from the table of 16, there were very strong matches between athletes who, based on their course this year, were favorites to enter the podium and there were no shortage of duels that were decided on the advantage or the last point.

In the semi-finals, Vassilis Tsokas (OXIF) and Konstantinos Karambasis (AO Ariston Peanias) “crossed” each other with the former winning with a score of 15-11, but also Savvas Kavadias (PAO) and Dimitris Mitsios-Antonakos (LX Thessaloniki) with a winner the first with 15-7.

Karambasis climbed to the third step of the podium again after 2023, while this year’s bronze is Mitsios-Antonakos’ first medal in a pan-Hellenic men’s championship.

In the grand final, the 16-year-old Tsokas managed to take an early lead against the experienced Kavvadias, but he managed to maintain it until the final 15-8 and was crowned Greek men’s champion. It is the second consecutive year that a 16-year-old has won the men’s title after Panagiotis Theodoropoulos in 2023.

Tsokas won his first pan-Hellenic title among boys (U13) only in 2021 and three years later he won the men’s title. It should be noted that with this victory he continued the family tradition since both his father, Petros Tsokas, and his brother, Nikos Tsokas, had won the championship in 1989 and 2021 respectively.

Kavadias, who holds three Panhellenic titles (2018-2019, 2022), climbed this time to the second step of the podium.

The men’s final eight:

1. Vasilis Tsokas (OXIF)

2. Savvas Kavadias (PAO)

3. Dimitris Mitsios-Antonakos (LC Thessaloniki)

T3. Konstantinos Karabasis (AO Ariston Peanias)

5. Yannos Markopoulos (OS Kifisias)

6. Alexander Thurman (AOFIPS Iris)

7. Achilleas Mavromatis (OXIF)

8. Dear Papadimitriou (AEK)

In the women’s competition, a total of 84 athletes from 21 different associations competed. In the semi-final, Ariadni Naskari (AO Ariston Peania) and Nefeli Rodopoulou (AOFIPS Irida) “crossed” with the former winning 14-13, while the second semi-final between Andriana Theodoropoulou (AO Ariston Peania) ended with exactly the same score. and of Nicole Hatzisarantou (AO Ariston Peania) with the first one winning.

With the Greek champion of 2022 and 2023 (Rodopoulou) out of contention for this year’s title, it was certain that a new name would be written on the list of Panhellenic women. In the grand final, Theodoropoulou finally prevailed against Nascari with 15-9 and after the silver of 2023, the gold passed around her neck and she climbed to the first step of the podium.

The 19-year-old has the World Junior Women’s Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in front of her in April, and this victory gives her great motivation.

The women’s final eight:

1. Andriana Theodoropoulou (AO Ariston Peanias)

2. Ariadni Naskari (AO Ariston Peanias)

3. Nefeli Rodopoulou (AOFIPS Iris)

T3. Nicole Harzisarantou (AO Ariston Peanias)

5. Athena Myronidou-Symeonidou (NGS Iraklis Thessaloniki)

6. Eleftheria Mimigiannis (PAO)

7. Fani Varveri (AS Finikas Florina)

8. Lilian Kefala Tsorou (LO Varis)