Two-time Olympic medal-winning fencer Alexander Massialas chatted with this Greek-American journalist about his plans for 2020, which include preparations for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
This past summer, the American team won the gold medal at the 2019 World Fencing Championships. “To finally break through and make it to the top of the podium was an amazing feeling. It makes us that much more motivated for next year for Tokyo,” Massialas adds.
The young Greek-American athlete is training hard now and is excited for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I am training full-time and competing. I am pretty stoked,” he admitted.
On being a fencer in the digital age, Massialas says, “It’s cool. We get a lot more recognition these days, thanks to social media, and the media in general, to get the news out there about the sport.”
Each day, he is motivated by his love for the sport and his inner competitive drive. “I don’t like losing in anything, and that means board games, video games, and fencing,” he reveals. “I love fencing so much, and I enjoy doing it every single day.”
His advice for young and aspiring fencers is this: “Follow your passion and really focus on the little things. The most important thing is that I’ve never lost my passion for fencing,” he states.
On his use of technology in his daily routine as a fencer, Massialas explains, “We use technology for video analysis, and I use a Theragun for recovery purposes.”
Regarding his Greek background, the Olympic veteran says “My father is half-Greek and half-British. He was born on Crete but grew up outside of Athens in Kalamaki, and my grandfather still lives there. My family is originally from Serres in northern Greece.”
Massialas shares that he enjoys celebrating Greek Easter in the United States. “Any time we can do Greek Easter with the Greek community is super fun,” he says.
When asked, the Olympic medalist defined the word “success” both as being “able to leave a positive impact on others” and “being happy.”
To learn more about Olympic Medalist Alexander Massialas, please follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
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