Dimitrios Loundras ( el, Δημήτριος Λούνδρας; 6 September 1885 in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

– 15 February 1970) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and naval officer who competed at the

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

. He was the last surviving participant of these Games. Loundras competed in the team

parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally w ...

event. In that competition, Loundras was a member of the

Ethnikos Gymnastikos Syllogos Ethnikos Gymnastikos Syllogos ( el, Εθνικός Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος) or Ethnikos Athens is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Greece. It was founded in 1893. History 1896 Olympics It had a team of gymnasts competing ...

team that placed third of the three teams in the event, giving him a bronze medal. At 10 years 218 days he remains the youngest medalist and competitor in Olympic history, if one discounts an unknown competitor, who competed as

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

for the Dutch

coxed pair A coxed pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of two rowers, each having one oar, and a cox. One row ...

rowing team in the

1900 Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

, (which for this reason is considered a mixed team), believed to be a French boy from 7 to 10 years old, but who according to Dutch expert Tony Bijkerk he was more likely nearer 12 years of age. Loundras later became an officer in the

Royal Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of var ...

, graduating from the

Hellenic Navy Academy The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy ( el, Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων, abbr. ΣΝΔ, lit. "School of Naval Cadets") is a military university and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the He ...

as an ensign in 1905. He served in various commands as well as a naval attache, and fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, before retiring with the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

in 1935. On the outbreak of the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...

in 1940, he was recalled to active service and appointed head of the Aegean Naval Command. He finally retired in 1945 as a vice admiral. From 1924 on he was a member of the

Hellenic Olympic Committee The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) ( el, Ελληνική Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή) is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is the second oldest National Olympic Committee in the world (after the French Olympic Committee), it ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he played a leading role in the establishment of the Hellenic Shooting Federation, and became its first president. In 1936 he also served briefly as prefect of

Lesbos Prefecture Lesbos Prefecture ( el, Νομός Λέσβου) was one of the prefectures of Greece. It comprised three main islands: Lesbos itself, Lemnos, and the smaller island of Agios Efstratios. Its capital was the town of Mytilene, on Lesbos. In 2011 t ...

References

External links

* 1885 births 1970 deaths Greek male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen Olympic bronze medalists for Greece Olympic gymnasts of Greece Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics Greek military personnel of World War I Royal Hellenic Navy admirals of World War II Greek naval attachés Gymnasts from Athens Place of death missing {{Greece-Olympic-medalist-stub