One of her most memorable achievements is winning the 400m hurdles gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. After the final, she knelt down and kissed the track, took off her shoes, and wrapped herself in the Greek flag for a victory lap. "I felt I would win when I came into the stadium," she said. "I wanted to show the world that the Greeks are high up there. The Greeks are born to be winners." (Greek News 30/08/04)

Injuries and Challenges

She missed the 2005 season due to injury. A series of injuries also hampered her progression as a junior. (IAAF 27/06/06) (IAAF 02/11/04)

Olympic Success

At the 2004 Olympic Games, she improved her best times by over three seconds in 18 months on her way to a surprise gold medal in the 400m hurdles. She lowered her personal best from 56.40 to an Olympic record of 52.77 in the semifinals and then ran 52.82 in the final to claim gold in front of a capacity home crowd at Athens' Olympic Stadium. (IAAF Handbook 2005)

From Television to Track

In 1999, after many injuries and financial problems, she decided to stop running and turned to studying and reporting instead. She worked as a journalist on one of the most popular political shows on Greek television. After two years away from the sport, she decided to return to track and approached former national team sprinter Giorgos Panagiotopoulos to coach her. Within a few years, she was setting national records in both the 400m and 400m hurdles. (IAAF 02/11/04)

Fluent in Greek, she continues to inspire many with her journey from setbacks to triumphs.