Greek Athlete Promises Skydive to Disabled Woman After Olympus Climb

Celebrated Greek athlete Marios Giannakou — who famously climbed up to the top of Mount Olympus with his friend Eleftheria Tosiou, who is disabled, strapped to his back — has now promised to take her skydiving.

The two adventurers met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday, and told him about their next journey together — skydiving.

Giannakou, a long-distance runner, met Tosiou, a 22-year-old biology student in Thessaloniki, in September of 2020.

The young student, who uses a wheelchair for mobility, expressed her desire to climb to the highest peak of Olympus to Giannakou, who had already successfully completed that exact route 50 times.

Giannakou set out to make his 51st climb up Greece’s tallest mountain unforgettable, by taking Tosiou up with him.

After much planning and preparation, the team made it up to the peak in early October.

For the duration of the ten-hour ascent, Tosiou was strapped into a specially modified backpack that Giannakou wore while climbing.

Out of all of his awards and accomplishments, Giannakou stated that making Tosiou’s dream come true gave him the most honor.

Greek athlete promises skydive next

PM Mitsotakis spoke with the pair just after they returned from their journey to the summit of Mt. Olympus in October, and he met with them again on Wednesday.

During their meeting, Giannakou and Tosiou offered Mitsotakis a framed banner featuring all of the names of the team that helped the pair reach the heights of Mt. Olympus.

The Prime Minister himself told the pair that he hopes to climb Mt. Olympus too one day, and expressed how much the two friends inspired the country with their story, stating:

“When you go through difficult times, you take strength from stories like yours… then you pursue your own goals.”

Mitsotakis then asked the friends about their next journey. Giannakou and Tosiou told him of their plans to go skydiving together, something that the young student with a rare disability always wanted to do.

When asked about her studies, Tosiou informed the PM that she would be graduating this year and hopes to continue her education by pursuing her Master’s degree.