Maria Rafaëlidou Wins Bronze Medal at European Winter Throws Championships

The second medal for Greece at the European Winter Throws Championships in Nicosia was secured by Maria Rafaëlidou, who claimed third place with a throw of 15.74 meters. At just 18 years old, Maria Rafaëlidou has proven herself as a leading figure in shot put and added the bronze medal to her collection at the European Winter Throws Championships in Nicosia. The young athlete finished third in the shot put with a distance of 15.74m, demonstrating once again that she is a competitor for major competitions. Despite competing against older athletes, she improved on her previous best this year of 15.44m and came very close to her personal record of 15.89m from last year. She achieved her best throw during her fifth attempt, despite being outside the podium standings at that moment. Rafaëlidou also recorded throws of 15.22m, 15.09m, and marked three times at 14.99m! ‘I didn’t expect to win a medal in an older age category. I wanted consistent throws, and it happened. It was a better competition than in Crete. I’m very pleased,’ said Rafaëlidou initially and continued: ‘I can say the fifth throw was the only one where I wasn’t thinking about anything. I just wanted to get through it quickly. In the other throws, I was more nervous.’