Eleftherios Petrounias gave a few interviews to the Greek media after defending his title on rings at the European Championships in Glasgow. Thanks to Evita, we can read the translations of two of his interviews.
Petrounias talked to Sport24 Radio.
On whether he’s going to be defeated by someone:
“At some point, the time for that will come. That time hasn’t come yet, though. We’ve earned the right to say that the time for me to lose hasn’t come. As long as I’m healthy till 2020, then this stands…”
About the injury he had to face:
“I had an inflammation which had been bothering me a lot on my shoulder. These past few months even though it was going better, my shoulder got inflamed and I was paralyzed by the pain before the qualification. We were very careful with the doctor and the physiotherapists especially on Sunday. I had executed this program a lot times in other competitions, I had the outcome pictured in my head and it came out exactly as planned. We’ve never been so by the book or careful before. My coach couldn’t believe it because I didn’t warm up my shoulder well. When we entered the arena, I forgot about everything, no pain, no nothing”.
About his training:
“Training is above all else centered on the brain. By training the mind, your mindset and thoughts, the performance is above 50%”.
About the difficulty of the program he performed:
“We made it a bit harder this year after the World Cup in Baku. There are some things that need to be fixed. We realize that perhaps it’s a greater risk, because my current program even though it is worth 0.1 lower in difficulty, it scores better in terms of execution. It’s not something final. We’re watching my Chinese competitor because he’s the only one we miss and we don’t watch as often as the others, but we’ll get him…”
On whether being the second one to go is a pro or a con:
“I really enjoy being one of the first athletes competing. I toy with my psychology and the psychology of my fellow athletes”.
On his next goal:
“We have some competitions and a World Cup at the end of September. We’ll see how good my shoulder is by then and we’re off to win at Worlds in Doha, at the end of October. That’s the goal. I’ll go on vacation for a week and Ι’ll continue rehab. We’re in it to win it!”
On whether his adrenaline rushes at the thought of the next gold medal:
“I’m intrigued by the fact that along with my coach we always go and try for the best. To have a strong streak of medals, not only European ones. These are accompanied by medals from Worlds or the Olympics. Aside from that, the Glasgow stadium brings back a lot of memories because in 2015 I started from there with great success, but that also the time when I lost my father. The regular Greek people motivate me tremendously because what I feel and what I get (the reception from the world) is so pure, without any hindering second thoughts. Outside of the gym, I am a normal person and I am happy to talk to everyone”.
On his bet with Vlasios Maras for the five titles:
“When I won my first Euros and I started to read about Vlasios’ success, it seemed so unattainable to me. We haven’t made a bet, but I’m sure that he wants me to break his record like I’d want a Greek athlete to break my record of medals in the future. We’ve got a lot of big talent and very capable coaches. The conditions under which you’re training are also important. Aside from that it’s a matter of character, who has the guts to enter the arena and perform his program. I always think at every competition that it’s the last time in my life performing”.
On the training on rings to perfect a routine:
“It takes not just hours but years. You try to achieve perfection but you never do. There’s always more to fix and that’s the beauty of the sport”.
On whether we’re going to see the Greek MAG team on all events:
“I believe that there is that capability, to distinguish ourselves on other events and on the team level. Out of the six events, up until the fourth one, we were beating the teams from Belarus and Ukraine, which are part of the top 10. The team from Turkey almost made it to the top-3, and to two years ago they had never beaten us. Everything is possible. The team dynamic is very good, we just have to handle the competition. What’s also needed is experience and more competitions. It’s a matter of time before we hit”.
On his advice to the younger ones:
“I try to cheer them up as best as I can. I have a very good relationship with my teammates, both the younger and the older ones”.
On the great moments for Greek sport this past week:
“Greece aside from talented athletes breeds athletes with a lot of heart, tenacity, and will. Greek people have a lot of soul and inner strength. We have to share our strength with others at all times”.
On the training conditions in other countries:
“If someone comes to our gym like the British for example, they’ll burst out laughing. That has nothing to do with today’s conditions. It’s always been like this in Greece. To not make this political, it’s not a matter of the government or the financial crisis. From 2000 that I’ve been training at OAKA and Agio Kosma things have been the same. Nothing was different even at times when there was money”.
Petrounias gave another interview right after the rings final to the Hellenic Gymnastics Federation:
Q: Lefteris congratulations, you are the European Champion on Rings for the fourth time, a record of titles, a record score for this routine you’re competing and a big difference between your score and the silver medalist’s score. How did it feel, did you have any issues with your shoulder?
A: There was an issue with my shoulder, but it didn’t worry us because I’ve worked a lot on this routine both in terms of repetitions these past few years, but also in my head. I wasn’t completely ready in terms of my body, but I was completely prepared in my head for the final, I had really worked on it and everything came out exactly as I wanted it to come out, exactly the way I visualized it.
Q: Was the execution a career best for this particular routine?
A: Yes it’s clearly the best, that’s how I felt it, that’s what my coach said, so that’s enough for me.
Q: Next goal?
A: Doha, the World Championships, in 3 months we have to win that title. The priority is health, for my shoulder to get better and then to defend the title because Tokyo is getting nearer and nearer and we have to be ready to claim what we’ve previously earned.
Q: 4 gold Euros medals on Rings, you’re tied with Yury Chechi, a legendary athlete. Is there a limit to the success?
A: At the very least until 2020, we’ve got 2 more Euros to win, 2 more Worlds and the Olympics so I say let’s go.
Q: Where do you want to dedicate this great success?
A: To Greece, my country, to the Greek people for everything that happened to our country [referring to the fires] that hurt so many people and of course to the people who support me. I want to give a special thanks to my coach Mr. Raftis, my doctor, the physiotherapists and all the people in the medical team, because success isn’t about all of this, but everything that goes into getting to this. And of course my sponsors, we’re going strong, we’re aiming high with Tokyo in mind!
Photo: The Greek Observer
