With 15 athletes competing in five sports and the national handball team’s second match, the 20th Mediterranean Games continue on Tuesday, August 25 “Taranto 26.”
On the competition grounds, the swimming events will come to a close, with Kalia Antoniou, among others, competing for a medal in the 50-meter freestyle, the national handball team’s match against Tunisia, the Rhythmic Gymnastics qualifiers, the first day of trap shooting, and the start of the tennis competitions. We also have a team competing in mixed padel.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In detail:
In swimming, Kalia Antoniou will compete in the 50-meter freestyle, the second event in which she won a medal at the previous tournament in Oran in 2022. She will compete in the first qualifying heat in an event featuring 22 swimmers, and Kalia is entered with the third-fastest time. The time gap between the first and fourth-ranked swimmers is 13 centimeters, and in such a close race, anything can happen. The final is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Cyprus time.
Among the other competitors, Andrew Lagoutis (1st qualifying heat) and Nicolas Antoniou (2nd qualifying heat) will compete immediately after Kalia in the men’s equivalent event (50m freestyle), which features 21 athletes.
The evening program will open with the women’s 200-meter individual medley (7:00 p.m.), in which Maria Erokhina will compete. It is a direct final, and the Cypriot swimmer has the 7th-fastest time among an equal number of competitors.
In rhythmic gymnastics, Maria Avgousti and Maria Sokolova will compete in the All-Around preliminary round, aiming for a top-ten finish that will secure a spot in Wednesday’s final. A total of 27 gymnasts are participating in the event, divided into two groups. The draw placed the two Cypriot gymnasts together in the first group, which will feature 14 athletes in total. In fact, the draw placed Sokolova first and Avgousti third in the order of competition. In the morning session, the two athletes will perform their routines on the hoop and ball, and in the afternoon session, on the clubs and ribbon.
No medals will be awarded in the individual events, and Rhythmic Gymnastics will award only one gold, one silver, and one bronze in the All-Around, based on the results of Wednesday’s Final, in which the top ten qualifiers from the overall scores they achieve on all four apparatus (Hoop, Ball, Clubs, Ribbon).
In the Trap shooting event, Andreas Makris and Giannis Ailiotis will begin the two-day competition with the standard format: the first 75 targets on the first day, the remaining 50, and the final on the second day. Twenty-six shooters are competing, and a fierce battle is expected for the spots that will lead to the final.
In padel, the duo of Maria Siopacha and Sergis Kyratzis will face the Araujo siblings (Sofia and Pedro), who are the No. 1 seeds, in the quarterfinals. Their task is certainly difficult, but they’ll try to pull off an upset that will take them to the quarterfinals.
It’s the opening day for tennis, where Andreas Timinis is the only player competing in the singles “Round of 32.” He will face Kristijan Janev from North Macedonia and has a good chance of advancing to the round of 16.
In Mixed Doubles, Raluca Serban and Eleftherios Neos will face the North Macedonian duo of Mitevska and Janev and are favorites to advance to the semifinals.
In handball, Cyprus will play its second match in Group B, this time against Tunisia. Our opponent lost its opener to Greece 37–29 and is considered a stronger team than Cyprus. Under the guidance of Andreas Andreou, the team will aim for another respectable performance, similar to the one in the opener when they lost to Algeria 33-24, to stay close on the scoreboard and fight for the best possible result.
Schedule at a glance (CYPRUS TIME):
TENNIS
5:00 PM “32” Singles (Men) Andreas Timinis vs. Kristijan Janev (MKD)
9:00 PM “16” Doubles (M) Raluca Serban / Eleftherios Neos vs. Sara Mitevska / Kristijan Janev (MKD)
PADEL
11:00 a.m. “8” Doubles (M) Maria Siopacha / Sergis Kyratzis vs. Sofia Araujo / Pedro Araujo (POR)
SWIMMING / Torre d’Ayala Swimming Stadium
11:12 50m Freestyle (W) Heats: Kalia Antoniou
11:21 50m Freestyle (A) Heats: Nikolas Antoniou
11:21 50m Freestyle (A) Heats: Andrew Lagoutis
19:00 200 m Medley (C) Maria Erokhina Final
19:10 50m Freestyle (C) Kalia Antoniou (Final) *
7:13 p.m. 50m Freestyle (A) Nicholas Antoniou (Final) *
19:13 100 m Freestyle (A) Andrew Lagoutis (Final) *
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS / Pala Campitelli
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. All-Around Qualifying Round (Hoop, Ball) Maria Sokolova GrA 14/27 participants
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. All-Around Qualifying Round (Hoop, Ball) Maria Avgousti GrA 14/27 participants
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM All-Around Qualifying Round (Hoops, Ribbon) Maria Sokolova GrA 14/27 participants
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM All-Around Qualifying Round (Hoops, Ribbon) Maria Avgousti GrA 14/27 participants
SHOOTING – TRAP / Torricella Municipal Sports Facility
11:00 a.m. Trap (A) (Day 1 / 75 targets) Andreas Makris
11:00 a.m. Trap (A) (Day 1 / 75 targets) Giannis Ailiotis
HANDBALL
4:00 p.m. Group B Cyprus vs. Tunisia
