Dimosthenis 'Dimos' Michalentzakis is a Greek Paralympic swimmer who competes in S9 and S8 classification events. He won Paralympic gold in the 100m butterfly S9 at

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...

in Rio de Janeiro and Paralympic bronze in the 100m freestyle S8 at

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

in Tokyo. He was born in

Alexandroupoli Alexandroupolis (, ) or Alexandroupoli (, ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,75 ...

in 19/10/1998 and he has origin from Feres. He holds the world record in 200 meters freestyle in his category with a performance of 2:07:16. The Municipal Swimming Pool of Alexandroupoli has his name.

Career

He started swimming at the age of 4 due to his disease which is obstetric paralysis in the right upper limb and he managed to pass all the swimming steps with great success. It is remarkable that Dimosthenis is the only Greek swimmer who swims also with the regular swimmers and succeeds to secure qualification limits for the Panhellenic Championships. In 2014, he joined the national men's swimming team disabled athletes. At 2014 IPC Swimming European Championship in Eindhoven, he finished 4th in the 200m individual medley S9 race and 5th in the 100m butterfly S9, just 16 years old. At the

2015 IPC Swimming World Championships The 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships was the eighth IPC Swimming World Championships, an international swimming competition for athletes with a disability. It was held in Glasgow, United Kingdom and took place from 13 to 19 July. Around 580 ...

in Glasgow, he finished 4th in the 100m butterfly S9. His greatest success, however, was achieved at the

2016 Paralympic Games The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...

in Brazil, as he won the Gold Paralympic medal and set a new Paralympic record (59:27) in the 100m butterfly S9. At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico City, he won the gold medal in the 100m butterfly S9 race, while at

2018 World Para Swimming European Championships The 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships took place in Dublin, Ireland from 13 to 19 August 2018. It was the 5th edition of the Championship ...

in Dublin he won two gold medals ( 100m butterfly S8, 200m individual medley S8). In 2018, he also competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle S10 event at the

2018 Mediterranean Games The 2018 Mediterranean Games (, ), officially known as the XVIII Mediterranean Games (, ) and commonly known as Tarragona 2018, was an international multi-sport event held from 22 June to 1 July 2018 in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Tarragona was ...

held in Tarragona, Spain. At

2019 World Para Swimming Championships The 2019 World Para Swimming Championships was the tenth edition of the World Para Swimming Championships run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The championships were held from February to June in seven countries across five contine ...

in London, he became world champion again, winning three gold medals in the S8 classification ( 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly). At 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships in Funchal, he won three gold medals in the S8 classification ( 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly). He was awarded as the Best Greek male athlete with a disability for 2019 and 2022.Βραβεία ΠΣΑΤ: Κορυφαίοι της χρονιάς Τσιτσιπάς και Στεφανίδη .
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michalentzakis, Dimosthenis Living people Greek male freestyle swimmers Paralympic swimmers for Greece S9-classified para swimmers S8-classified para swimmers Paralympic gold medalists for Greece Paralympic bronze medalists for Greece Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Medalists at the World Para Swimming European Championships Swimmers at the 2018 Mediterranean Games Paralympic medalists in swimming Sportspeople from Alexandroupolis Mediterranean Games competitors for Greece 1998 births 21st-century Greek sportsmen