ATHENS – Exactly 20 years ago, Voula Patoulidou won the gold medal in the Barcelona Olympic Games, making the Greek anthem sound in the Spanish stadium. Minutes after her victory, an excited Patoulidou stated that she won this medal “for Greece, dammit” making the whole country love her.
Few expected the then-27-year-old athlete to beat her opponents in the women’s 100-meter hurdles race. Patoulidou was competing against world-record holder, the Bulgarian Yordana Donkova, and the American Gail Devers, who had already won the Pan-American and World championships.
After her success and especially her unforgettable statement, the Greek national water-polo team rushed into the stadium where Patoulidou ran, lifting her in their arms and crying out in ecstasy over the medal. Nobody has ever forgotten the famous “for Greece, dammit’ even after two decades.
(Source: newsbomb)
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