With 17 athletes competing in six sports and hopes that we’ll once again see our athletes on the podium, the 20th Mediterranean Games continue on Monday, August 24 “Taranto 26.”
At the competition venues spread throughout the Apulia region, we’ll be represented in swimming, cycling, padel, fencing, and badminton. There are strong hopes for a podium finish by Kalia Antoniou in the 100-meter freestyle, while the road cycling athletes—both men and women—have their sights set high. Fencer Alexandros Tofalidis will also be striving for the best possible result.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Nations League: Close matches on Monday’s… schedule
Cyprus League by Stoiximan: A Week… Back in Action
In detail:
In swimming, Kalia Antoniou will take to the pool aiming to defend her title in the 100-meter freestyle, as that was the event in which she won the gold medal in Oran four years ago. She has the fastest time among the 21 competitors, but Italy’s Tarantino is hot on her heels, and the two are expected to put up a fierce battle.
In the other events, Nikolas Antoniou and Andrew Lagoutis will compete immediately after Kalia in the corresponding men’s event (100-meter freestyle). A personal best is the goal for both swimmers in this event, which features 22 competitors.
The morning sessions will conclude with Panagiotis Panaretos, who will attempt to qualify for the final of the 50-meter breaststroke. Fifteen swimmers are competing in his event, and Panaretos has the ninth-fastest time.
Six athletes will compete in road cycling—three in the men’s division and three in the women’s division. In the women’s morning race, which begins at 10:00 a.m. (Cyprus time), Andri Christoforou, Ekaterina Kovaltchuk, and Styliana Kamilari will devise their own strategy to position themselves just before the finish line in the leading group, where everything will be decided in the final sprint. The race is 77.7 km long and features 32 female athletes from 12 countries.
In the men’s race, Andreas Miltiadis, Bogdan Zabelinski, and Christodoulos Achhas will compete. The race will begin at 2:00 p.m. (Cyprus time), with 51 athletes from 18 countries competing over a distance of 133.3 km.
In fencing, in the foil event, Alexandros Tofalidis arrived in Taranto with high hopes. The level of competition in the sport is very high, but the athlete has the ability and experience to compete against his opponents.
In padel, the duo of Maria Siopacha and Lena Savva faces a very difficult challenge in the round of 16 against the Italians C. Cassali and G. Dal Pozzo. Their primary goal is to give their best on the court, perform well, and, depending on how the match unfolds, strive to advance.
In badminton, the four athletes on the team will compete in the singles events. Nikolaos Kokosis will be the first to compete in the round of 32 against Vedan Stefanofski from North Macedonia. The other three athletes will start in the round of 16, facing a difficult challenge. Eleni Charalambous will face Anja Blazina of Slovenia. In the afternoon session and the final matches, we’ll see Cyprus-Italy showdowns, with Aris Kattirtzis facing Fabio Caponio and Charalambia Michael taking on Yasmine Hamza.
Schedule at a glance (CYPRUS TIME):
PADEL
6:00 PM “16” Doubles (C) Maria Siopacha / Lena Savva vs. C. Cassali / G. Dal Pozzo (ITA)
SWIMMING / Torre d’Ayala Swimming Stadium
11:00 a.m. 100m Freestyle (Women) Heat 3: Kalia Antoniou
11:10 a.m. 100m Freestyle (Men) Heat 2: Nikolas Antoniou
11:10 a.m. 100m Freestyle (Men) Heat 2: Andrew Lagoutis
11:49 a.m. 50m Breaststroke (Men) Heat 2 Panagiotis Panaretos
19:15 50m Breaststroke (A) Panagiotis Panaretos (Final) *
19.50 100m Freestyle (C) Kalia Antoniou (Final) *
19.54 100 m Freestyle (A) Nikolas Antoniou (Final) *
19.54 100m Freestyle (A) Andrew Lagoutis (Final) *
CYCLING / Taranto City Circuit
10:00 Road Cycling (Women) Final: Andri Christoforou, 32 participants
10:00 Road Cycling (C) Final Ekaterina Kovaltchuk 32 participants
10:00 Road Cycling (C) Final Styliana Kamilari 32 participants
2:00 p.m. Road Cycling (A) Final: Bogdan Zabelinski, 51 participants
2:00 p.m. Road Cycling (A) Final: Andreas Miltiadis, 51 participants
2:00 PM Road Cycling (A) Final: Christodoulos Achhas, 51 participants
FENCING / Pala Ricciardi
10:45 Foil (Group) Alexandros Tofalidis
1:10 p.m. Foil “16” Alexandros Tofalidis
BADMINTON / Francavilla Fontana Sport Hall
10:00 Singles (A) “32” Nikolaos Kokosis vs. Vedan Stefanovski (MKD)
12:40 Singles (C) “16” Eleni Charalambous vs. Anja Blazina (SLO)
12:40 Singles (Men) “16” Aris Kattirtzis vs. Fabio Caponio (ITA)
12:40 Singles (C) “16” Michael Charalambia vs. Yasmine Hamza (ITA)
