Stavros Michaelides (also ''Stavros Mikhailidis'', ; born November 20, 1970) is a Cypriot former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, and 2000), a triple medalist at the

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fi ...

(1991, 1993, and 1997), and a former Cypriot record holder in the 50 m freestyle. In 2003, Michaelides was selected as one of eight Olympians to be the major pioneers of

The Race Club The Race Club is a swimming club known for training Olympic Games swimmers with its swimming training program that is focused on specific swimming techniques, located in Islamorada, Florida. History The Race Club was founded in 2003 by Gary ...

Islamorada, Florida Islamorada (also sometimes Isla Morada) is an Incorporation (municipal government), incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located directly between Miami and Key West on five islands—Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe ...

Career

College career

Michaelides attended on an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

, where he played for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

swimming and diving team under head coach Jonty Skinner. While swimming for the Crimson Tide, Michaelides received a total of nine

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

titles in the freestyle and medley relays before he graduated from the university in 1994. At the 1992

NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships The NCAA Division I men's swimming and diving championships (formerly the NCAA University Division swimming and diving championships) are contested at an annual swim meet hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the ind ...

, he helped the Crimson Tide to pull off a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:28.34.

International career

Michaelides made his official worldwide debut at the

1991 Mediterranean Games The XI Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1991 Mediterranean Games, were the 11th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Athens, Greece, from 28 June to 12 July 1991, where 2,762 athletes (2,176 men and 586 women) from 18 countries p ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, where he earned a silver medal in the 50 m freestyle (23.65), trailing Italy's

René Gusperti René ("Spillo") Gusperti (born 18 March 1971) is an Italian former swimmer. He was a world class freestyle sprinter during the 1990s and unchallenged Italian Champion in the same years. Biography Gusperti was born in Schlanders/Silandro. He beg ...

by eight hundredths of a second (0.08). In 1992, Michaelides competed as a member of the Cypriot squad at his first

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. He placed almost in the "middle-of-the-road" in any of his individual events, finishing twentieth in the 50 m freestyle (23.34) and forty-fourth in the 100 m freestyle (52.54). At the

1993 Mediterranean Games The XII Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1993 Mediterranean Games, were the 12th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, from 16 June to 27 June 1993, where 2,598 athletes (1,994 men and 604 women) fr ...

Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; ; ) is a former regions of France, administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It comprised five departments o ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Michaelides won a bronze medal in the 50 m freestyle with a time of 23.28. He also helped the Cypriot team pull off a seventh-place effort in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, in a final time of 3.38.28. At the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Michaelides placed thirty-first in the 50 m freestyle (23.37) and fiftieth in the 100 m freestyle (52.65), delivering a worst performance in his swimming career. A year later, at the

1997 Mediterranean Games The XIII Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1997 Mediterranean Games, were the 13th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Bari, Italy, from 13 to 25 June 1997, where 2,956 athletes (2,166 men and 790 women) from 21 countries partici ...

Bari, Italy Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and university city a ...

, Michaelides shared a bronze medal with host nation's Lorenzo Vismara in the 50 m freestyle. He posted a lifetime best of 23.28, matching his time in the process four years earlier. Eight years after competing in his first Olympics, Michaelides qualified for his third Cypriot team, as a 29-year-old, at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Swimming only in the 50 m freestyle, he posted a

FINA World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

B-standard entry time of 23.08 from the Akropolis Grand Prix in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. He challenged seven other swimmers in heat six, including Ukraine's rising favorite Oleksandr Volynets and Lithuania's Rolandas Gimbutis, the tallest swimmer at the Games. Michaelides toppled a new Cypriot record of 23.05 to pick up a third seed in his heat, finishing behind winner Volynets by almost half the body length. Michaelides failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed twenty-seventh overall in the prelims. At the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...

Manchester, England Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, Michaelides missed the top 8 final in the 50 m freestyle, finishing his semifinal run in twelfth place with a time of 23.66. He also placed fifth, along with his teammates

Chrysanthos Papachrysanthou Chrysanthos Papachrysanthou (; born 7 February 1979) is a Cypriot former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is a four-time All-Academic honoree (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002), and an eight-time All-Conference champion in freest ...

Alexandros Aresti Alexandros Aresti (; born 11 March 1983) is a Cypriot former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004), and a Cypriot record holder in the 100 and 200 m freestyle. Aresti made his official debut, a ...

, and Demetrios Demetriou, in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay (3:27.82). In 2003, Michaelides was selected as one of eight Olympians to become the pioneers of

, a swimming club founded by Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr., and his father Gary Hall Sr., located in

Life after swimming

A year after

was founded, in 2004, Michaelides announced his retirement from swimming. He is currently working as a public relations and marketing officer for the

Cyprus Olympic Committee The Cyprus Olympic Committee (COC; ) is National Olympic Committee representing the Cyprus, Republic of Cyprus. It is responsible for promoting the Olympic ideals on the island and for ensuring that Cyprus is Cyprus at the Olympics, represented w ...

References

External links

* * * *
Manchester 2002 Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaelides, Stavros 1970 births Living people Cypriot male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers for Cyprus Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Cyprus Alabama Crimson Tide men's swimmers Expatriate swimmers in the United States Sportspeople from Limassol Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Cyprus Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Cyprus Swimmers at the 1991 Mediterranean Games Swimmers at the 1993 Mediterranean Games Swimmers at the 1997 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in swimming