Pyrros Dimas facts for kids
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| Nationality | Greek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 October 1971 Himarë, Albania |
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| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 83.15 kg (183.3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Albania (1982–1992) Greece (1992–2004) |
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| Sport | Weightlifting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 85 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal best(s) |
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Medal record
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Pyrros Dimas (born October 13, 1971) is a famous Greek athlete and politician. He is known as one of the greatest weightlifters of all time. He won three Olympic gold medals and three World Championship titles.
Today, Dimas works as the technical director for USA Weightlifting. He also served as a member of the Hellenic Parliament in Greece from 2012 to 2015. He was named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year four times.
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Early Life and Training
Pyrros Dimas was born in 1971 in Himarë, a town in southern Albania. His parents were Greek. He started weightlifting when he was 11 years old. By age 14, he was already competing in junior events.
When he was 18, in 1989, he became the triple champion of Albania in the 82.5 kg weight class. He won this title again in 1990. While in Albania, his coach was Zef Kovaci. The Albanian government gave him the title "Master of Sports." The European Weightlifting Federation also named him "European Master."
Competing for Albania
Pyrros Dimas was an important part of the Albanian weightlifting team. In 1989, he placed 12th at the 62nd World Championship of Weightlifting. This helped Albania's team rank 13th in the world.
In 1990, at the 69th European Weightlifting Championship in Aalborg, Denmark, Dimas finished 4th in Europe. Albania's team came in 3rd place. Later that year, in the European Cup for nations, Dimas, Leonidas Sabanis, and Fatmir Bushi helped Albania finish 2nd in Europe.
Competing for Greece
While in Denmark, Dimas met people from the Greek national team. He was excited about the idea of joining them. However, it was hard for him to leave Albania at that time. On February 7, 1991, Dimas managed to cross the border into Greece after a long journey. He then settled in Athens.
He became a Greek citizen in 1992. His first competition for Greece was at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal in the 82.5 kg weight class. During his final lift, he famously shouted "Gia tin Ellada!" which means "For Greece!" This phrase became very well-known in Greece.
At that time, Greece did not win many Olympic medals. Pyrros Dimas and Voula Patoulidou, who won a surprise gold in hurdles, became national heroes. They were welcomed home by huge crowds in Athens. Dimas earned the nickname "The Lion of Himara" because of his birthplace. People also called him "Midas" because he won so many Olympic gold medals.
Dimas was known for his confidence. After a successful lift, he would often hold the weights up longer. This allowed the crowd to take photos.
Olympic Success
After winning World titles in 1993 and 1995, Dimas was a favorite for the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was the flag bearer for the Greek Olympic team. He won the gold medal in the 83 kg class and set two new World Records.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of only three weightlifters in history to win three Olympic gold medals. The others were Naim Süleymanoğlu and Kakhi Kakhiashvili.
In 2004, the Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Dimas was chosen to carry the Greek flag at both the opening and closing ceremonies. He was recovering from knee surgery and a wrist injury. Many people did not expect him to compete. However, he won a bronze medal in the 85 kg class. This made him the fourth weightlifter ever to win a medal at four different Olympic Games. He was also the only one whose four medals included three golds. This cemented his place as a national hero in Greece and a legend in weightlifting.
After winning the bronze medal, he showed he was retiring by leaving his shoes on the platform. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. In 2008, Dimas became the president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation.
Political Work
In 2012, Pyrros Dimas became involved in politics. He was elected as a member of the Greek parliament. He represented the Panhellenic Socialist Movement party.
Dimas has spoken out for the rights of ethnic Greeks in Albania. He has drawn attention to issues like land ownership in his hometown of Himara. He has asked the Greek government to help. In 2014, he took part in a ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the declaration of autonomy for the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus.
He has continued to speak against what he sees as unfair policies by the Albanian government toward the Greek community in Himara. In 2018, he protested against the taking of properties belonging to the ethnic Greek community. In May 2023, Dimas protested the arrest of Fredis Beleris, a Greek minority representative who was elected mayor of Himara.
In 2024, he ran for the European Parliament with the New Democracy party but was not elected.
Personal Life
Pyrros Dimas was married to Anastasia Sdougkou. She was a sports reporter. They had four children together. Sadly, his wife passed away in June 2018 from brain cancer.
Career Highlights
- Snatch: 180.5 kg (in 1999 in Athens, 85 kg class)
- Clean and Jerk: 215.0 kg (at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 85 kg class)
- Total: 392.5 kg (at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 83 kg class)
Major Results
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| 1992 |  Barcelona, Spain |
82.5 kg | 162.5 | 167.5 | 1 | 202.5 | 4 | 370.0 |  |
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| 1996 |  Atlanta, United States |
83 kg | 172.5 | 175.0 | 180.0 WR | 1 | 202.5 | 207.5 | 213.0 WR | 2 | 392.5 WR | |
| 2000 |  Sydney, Australia |
85 kg | 175.0 | 4 | 210.0 | 215.0 | 1 | 390.0 | |
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| 2004 | Athens, Greece |
85 kg | 170.0 | 175.0 | 3 | 202.5 | 4 | 377.5 |  |
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| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 1993 | Melbourne |
83 kg | 170.0 | 175.0 | |
202.5 | 4 | 377.5 | |
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| 1994 |  Istanbul, Turkey |
83 kg | 167.5 | 172.5 | |
-- | -- | -- | ||||
| 1995 |  Guangzhou, China |
83 kg | 170.0 | 172.5 |  |
212.5 | |
385.0 | |
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| 1998 |  Lahti, Finland |
85 kg | 172.5 | 178.0 WR | |
210.0 | |
387.5 | |
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| 1999 | Athens, Greece |
85 kg | 175.0 | 180.5 WR | |
207.5 | |
387.5 | |
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| European Championships | ||||||||||||
| 1992 |  Szekszárd, Hungary |
82.5 kg | 165.0 | |
202.5 | |
367.5 | |
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| 1993 |  Sofia, Bulgaria |
83 kg | 170.0 | |
200.0 | 5 | 370.0 | |
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| 1995 |  Warsaw, Poland |
83 kg | 177.5 | |
210.0 | |
387.5 | |
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| 1998 |  Riesa, Germany |
85 kg | 167.5 | 172.5 | |
200.0 | 205.0 | |
377.5 | |
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| 2000 | Sofia, Bulgaria |
85 kg | 167.5 | 170.0 | 4 | 200.0 | 7 | 370.0 | 4 | |||
| 2004 |  Kyiv, Ukraine |
85 kg | 165.0 | 170.0 | 6 | 200.0 | 205.0 | 5 | 375.0 | 5 | ||
See also
In Spanish: Pyrros Dimas para niños
