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INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE
6837-Karolina Pelendritou photo

Karolina Pelendritou

Cypriot flag
Cyprus
Swimming
3
2
1

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment
Classification
S12, SB12, SM12

Further personal information

Family
Husband Dimitris Chatzigeorgiou
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English, Greek
Higher education
Media Studies

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began swimming at age eight in Limassol, Cyprus.
Why this sport?
She enjoyed a number of sports when she was younger, and always watched the Olympic Games. She got involved in swimming following advice from a doctor in London, England. "I told my parents that when we got back to Cyprus, I wanted to start swimming."
Name of coach
Stelios Kakavogiannis [personal], GRE, from 2010

International debut

Year
2002
Competing for
Cyprus
Location
Buenos Aires, ARG

General interest

Nicknames
Princess of the Pool (parikiaki.com, 25 Aug 2013)
Hobbies
Listening to music, fashion, cooking. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning a gold medal in the SB13 100m breaststroke at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens and a silver in the SB12 100m breaststroke at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019; gettyimages.ie, 08 Sep 2012)
Most influential person in career
Her husband Dimitris Chatzigeorgiou. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019)
Hero / Idol
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, US pole vaulter Sandi Morris, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019)
Injuries
In February 2016 she was hospitalised due to the effects of bronchitis, pneumonia and a respiratory virus. (Facebook profile, 14 Sep 2016)

She underwent a series of operations following the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (incyprus.philenews.com, 30 Apr 2014)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Perfect conditions never exist anywhere. You have to show up and be ready to do your best." (contra.gr, 05 Jun 2019)
Awards and honours
She was flag bearer for Cyprus at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in 2012 and 2016, as well as the 2016 European Championships in Funchal, Portugal. (myinfo.rio2016.com, 06 Sep 2016; paralympic.org, 26 Apr 2016, 29 Aug 2012)

She was joint winner of the Outstanding Female Elite Para Athlete award at the 2007 Commonwealth Sports Awards. (sgcs.org.uk, 14 Oct 2009)

In 2005 the Cyprus government created a postage stamp in her honour. (NOC, 01 Sep 2012)
Milestones
She became the first athlete representing Cyprus to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games when she triumphed in the SB13 100m breaststroke at the 2004 Games in Athens. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Aug 2019)
Famous relatives
Her husband Dimitris Chatzigeorgiou has worked as a presenter on the ERT television channel. (fthis.gr, 21 Sep 2018)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (goal.philenews.com, 17 Jun 2019)
Impairment
She has lost 97% of her central vision due to damage to cells in her retina. (contra.gr, 05 Jun 2019; like.philenews.com, 20 Apr 2016)
Other information
RESIDENCE
She splits her time between Athens, Greece, and Limassol, Cyprus. (Facebook page, 08 Mar 2020)

Results

Unit Date Rank
IPC Swimming World Championships Mar del Plata 2002 (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Heats 4
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 5
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Final Round 2
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM13 Heats 5
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM13 Final Round 9999
IPC Swimming World Championships Durban 2006 (Durban, South Africa)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Backstroke S12 Heats (S11/12) 5
Women's 50 m Freestyle S12 Heats 1
Women's 50 m Freestyle S12 Final Round 4
Women's 100 m Backstroke S12 Final Round 4
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heats 9999
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM12 Heats 1
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM12 Final Round 4
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Freestyle S12 Heat 1 3
Women's 50 m Freestyle S12 Final Round 5
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heat 2 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Final Round 1
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM12 Heat 1 2
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM12 Final Round 3
IPC Swimming World Championships Eindhoven 2010 (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heat 2 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Final Round 1
Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Athens, Greece)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Heat 2 3
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 8
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Heat 2 4
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 8
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Heat 1 9999
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Final Round 1
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heat 2 2012-09-08 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Final Round 2012-09-08 2
2013 IPC Swimming World Championships (Montreal, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Final 1 2013-08-18 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heat 2 2013-08-18 1
2015 IPC Swimming World Championships (Glasgow, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Heat 2 2015-07-17 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Final 1 2015-07-17 1
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Final Round 2016-09-11 4
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Heat 1 2016-09-11 4
Mexico City 2017 World Para Swimming Championships (Mexico City, Mexico)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Final 1 2017-12-06 1
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB12 Heat 1 2017-12-06 1