Elina Tzengko (, ; born 2 September 2002) is a Greek
javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...
er. She won the gold medal at the
2022 European Athletics Championships
The 2022 European Athletics Championships were the 25th edition of the European Athletics Championships and were held in Munich, Germany, from 15 to 21 August 2022.
They were part of the 2022 European Championships, European Championships, a multi ...
, becoming the youngest ever javelin and Greek European champion. Tzengko took a silver and a gold at the 2021 World and European Under-20 Championships respectively.
Early life
Elina Tzengko was born in Greece to
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
Chalkidiki
Chalkidiki (; , alternatively Halkidiki), also known as Chalcidice, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos reg ...
. She has two older sisters. She started
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
throwing small balls around the age of seven. When she was at primary school, she joined the sports club A.S. Kentavros Neas Kallikrateias ( Αθλητικός Σύλλογος - Α.Σ. Κένταυρος Νέας Καλλικράτειας). She was big enough to handle the
javelin
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...
at age 11.
Tzengko received Greek citizenship on 22 June 2018. In 2021, she started studying at School of Physical Education and Sports Science of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ( AUTh; ), often called the University of Thessaloniki, is the second oldest tertiary education institution in Greece. Named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about east of Thessa ...
Summer Youth Olympics
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
held in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina in October, she won the gold medal with throws of 63.34 m and 61.74 m, and was voted
European Athletics
The European Athletic Association (EAA, more commonly known as European Athletics) is the governing body for Sport of athletics, athletics in Europe. It is one of the six Area Associations of the world's athletics governing body World Athletics. E ...
top female athlete of the month.
The following year in May, she set the world U18 best of 65.90 m (javelin 500 g) at the Panhellenic School Championships in
Ioannina
Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...
.
On 1 August 2020, the 17-year-old threw world U20 record of 63.96 m at the Greek U20 Championships held also in Ioannina. However,
World Athletics
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...
refused to recognize it as a record because doping control was not conducted immediately following the completion of the competition as required by anti-doping regulations.
In July 2021, she became the European U20 champion. The next month, with a throw of 59.60 m, Tzengko earned the silver medal at the World U20 Championships in
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, Kenya.
On 20 August 2022, still only 19, Tzengko won the gold medal with a personal best of 65.81 metres at the
European Championships
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
held in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. She became the youngest athlete in her discipline – male or female – to win the title at the Europeans, the first teenager to win a European throwing title, and the youngest ever Greek European champion. In October, Tzengko also became the first Greek athlete in history to receive European Athletics Rising Star award as she was crowned 2022 Female Rising Star.