In his studio News Bulletin 247 was found at noon on Saturday o Panagiotis Gionishis guest Sotiris Tabakou. The great athlete referred to his great love for table tennis and answered the question about his thoughts ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. Since the 45 year old ace (who will then be 48) gives the “present” in the USA he will become the first Greek athlete with a presence in seven different Olympic Games (he is the 4th with six). Asked if the script motivates him to set such a record, he said:
“Certainly this is one motivation, but it is not the only one. I’ll take it step by step. My team in Poland keeps me at a very good level because the league is very difficult. One reason I want to extend the contract early on is this. To know that until the summer of 2026 I should do what I did before. That is, to take care of my body, to do physical fitness, to do championships. I know that there I will be able to more easily understand if I can last another two years. I think I’ll decide if I’m aiming for summer 2026. There if I say I’m OK, I’ll start a two-year plan, go to a lot of tournaments.
Because the chances to qualify for the Olympic Games are through the ranking list and from the pre-Olympic tournament. The pre-Olympic tournament is very difficult, you have to win around seven matches in two or three days and I don’t know if I can handle it at this age. Already now I could bear it, but with difficulty. So, I’ll make a plan to see if I can make it via ranking list. I won’t hide from you that four years seems like a long time to me. It looks like a mountain to mebut after Rio and Tokyo I said the same thing… Sometimes I can’t understand myself either“, he said to Sotiris Tabako the athlete of Panathinaikos and Bogoria, who is currently at 110 in the ranking, while he has reached up to 17!
Listen to the full episode of “Attack from Back”:
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.