Cypriot Artistic Gymnastics champion, Marios Georgiou, qualified on Saturday in Paris in the Men’s Horizontal Bar category final, which will be held on August 5.
President Nikos Christodoulides, who watched Georgiou compete and qualify for gymnastics’ horizontal bar final on Saturday in Paris, told the press team of the Cyprus Olympic Committee that he was “moved” by the athlete’s “great effort.”
Afterwards, he spoke with Georgiou, and they agreed to meet in person when he returns to Cyprus.
“His presence among the athletes I saw from so many countries, countries more populous than the Republic of Cyprus, makes us particularly proud”, Christodoulides said.
It is the second time in Georgiou’s career that he has qualified for the final of the Olympic Games, after Rio in 2016 when he also entered the final in the all-around category. In Tokyo he was 9th in the Horizontal Bar and first runner-up for the final.
The 26-year-old Cypriot champion competed in the qualifying round of the individual all-around category in the second group, at the Bercy Arena, accumulating a total of 79,498 points.
Georgiou’s scores per event were: Floor Exercise- 13.266, Pommel Horse- 13.400, Rings- 12.900, Vault- 13.966, Parallel Bars – 11.600, Horizontal Bar- 14.366.
In total, 96 athletes were registered to compete, divided into three groups.
The 26-year-old gymnast, with 14,366 points, took 8th place in the Qualifier in the Horizontal Bar category and secured the last ticket for the final on August 5.
Christodoulides added that on the occasion of the Olympic Games, the government would do more for Cypriot athletes, especially on the aspect concerning their job prospects, noting that this is something that worries athletes.
“An athlete participating in an Olympic Games should not have such concerns.”
First Lady, Filippa Karsera Christodoulides, in a post on her social media page congratulated Georgiou. “You made us proud once again”, she said.
Education Minister Athena Michaelidou, who also watched Georgiou compete in Paris congratulated the athlete, noting that she was “proud and moved to have watched your enormous effort from up close”.
