The devaluation experienced by Greek athletes from the state, he said in a few words in his farewell before his retirement from weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics. Thodoris Iakovidis literally went to Tokyo at the last minute (was the only Greek athlete in weightlifting) for the Olympics and after the end of the race he announced that he decided to stop his career, revealing that to reach this decision he has come to his limits and mainly the financial.
«Sorry about the tremor in the voice. These are my last moments in the national team. The performance does not reflect the 100% of my potential. I faced some injury problems. I spent a month heavily training. I have no complaints. I did more than what I did in training the last few days. I haven't had much training on my legs. At the end I wanted to give it a try beyond my capabilities but it didn't work out.».
https://twitter.com/Marka149133376/status/1421372676053127169
«I'm sorry if some people think I'm running away»
Then the 96kg champion with a trembling voice, revealed the difficulties he is going through and how they prompted him to stop lifting weights, as his survival comes first.
«I'm crying with sadness, not because I didn't do well, but because it's all over. I can't perform at 100% and have my head in peace to train and be able to perform what I deserve to perform to this flag I'm wearing,» he said at first, adding: «I'm sorry if some people think I'm running away, but I'm very tired. I can't stand this situation any longer.. It's very sad to be embarrassed to go to the physiotherapist because he won't take your money because he knows your condition. And I can't take this anymore. I want to stop. I need to calm down. And all I want right now is to go back to my family, my family, my friends, to hug them and tell them that they've been my motivation all these years to keep going.».
Finally, how long will Greek athletes experience this endless loneliness and the devaluation of the state? As Olympic champion Anna Korakaki said, “you don't know what goes on behind the curtain”. The weightlifter Theo Iakovidis said it all...
