Athanasios Ghavelas

Athanasios Ghavelas
Personal information
NationalityGreek
Born (1999-12-19) 19 December 1999 (age 26)
Sport
CountryGreece
SportParalympic athletics
T11
Events
100 metres, 60 metres, 200 metres
Coached byNestoras Kolovos
Achievements and titles
Personal bests100m: 10.82s WR (2021)
60m: 7.10s WR (2022)
200m: 22.79s WR (2022)
Medal record
Men's para-athletics
Representing  Greece
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 Tokyo100 m T11
Gold medal – first place2024 Paris100 m T11
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 Paris100 m T11
Gold medal – first place2025 New Delhi100 m T11
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Berlin100 m T12
Gold medal – first place2021 Bydgoszcz100 m T11
Silver medal – second place2018 Berlin200 m T12

Athanasios Ghavelas (born 19 December 1999) is a Greek track and field Paralympic athlete and two-time Paralympic Champion in the 100 metres T11 category. He is the fastest blind person in the world, holding the T11 world record in both the 100 metres with a time of 10.82 seconds and the 60 metres with a time of 7.10 seconds.

He has been competing since the age of 17 and has achieved distinction at both World and European levels, winning the gold medal in all three major championships.

His hails is from Strofylia, Euboea from his father, and from Pylos, Messinia from his mother.

Career

Ghavelas represented Greece at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the 100 metres T11 event and won the gold medal with a world record time of 10.82. At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, in Paris, France, Ghavelas won the gold medal in the 100m (T11).

In addition to national competitions, he has participated and distinguished himself in European and World Championships, securing top positions. His highest achievements include the T11 100m World Record with a time of 10.82 seconds at the "Tokyo 2020" Paralympic Games in the summer of 2021, and the 60m World Record with 7.10 seconds at the SEGAS Indoor Track and Field Meet in Athens in February 2022.

His athletic career features participation in domestic and international meets, such as the International Para Athletics Meeting in Marrakech (Gold in 200m), the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai (Gold in 100m), the Paris Grand Prix - Handisport Open Paris - (Gold in 100m), and the Diamond League in Oslo, where he took part in the 'Race to Zero' to raise awareness for the inclusion of athletes with disabilities in major events. At the Hellenic Para Athletics Championship, he also competed in the 200m (22.08s) and made his long jump debut with a mark of 6.15m.

Awards

In 2021, he was named "Athlete with a Disability of the Year" at the annual Gazzetta Awards via a public vote, and "Top Athlete with a Disability of the Year" by the Panhellenic Sport Press Association (PSAT), an award presented to him by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

In December 2022, the indoor gymnasium of his former high school (1st Senior High School of Nea Psychiko) was renamed the "Athanasios Gavelas" Indoor Gymnasium.

In December 2023, he was awarded "Top Athlete with a Disability of the Year" by the Panhellenic Sport Press Association (PSAT).

References

  1. ↑ "Παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ ο παραολυμπιονίκης Θανάσης Γκαβέλας". 5 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "World Para Athletics European Records".
  3. ↑ Ευβοιώτης ο Χρυσός Ολυμπιονίκης Νάσος Γκαβέλας eviaonline.gr
  4. ↑ "Γυμνάσιο Πύλου: Ο χρυσός Παραολυμπιονίκης Νάσος Γκαβέλας εμπνέει τους μαθητές". ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΘΑΡΡΟΣ (in Greek). 19 February 2026. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Athanasios Ghavelas". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Greek Sprinter Athanasios Ghavelas Wins Gold in the Paralympic Games". greekreporter. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Tokyo 2020 - athletics - men-s-100-m-t11". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Παραολυμπιακοί: "Χρυσός" ο Γκαβέλας στα 100μ". antenna.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  9. ↑ ΚΟΥΒΕΛΗ, ΜΑΡΙΑ (5 February 2022). "Παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ ο Θανάσης Γκαβέλας στην ημερίδα κλειστού στίβου στο ΣΕΦ". SPORT24 (in Greek). Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  10. ↑ Results '5th International Para Athletics Meeting – Marrakesh' (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Αθλητής με αναπηρία της χρονιάς: Ο Νάσος Γκαβέλας έχει τη δύναμη στο χέρι του | Gazzetta". www.gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Οι ψήφοι που έλαβαν, ανά κατηγορία, οι κορυφαίοι αθλητές για το 2021 στα βραβεία του ΠΣΑΤ". ΠΣΑΤ - Πανελλήνιος Σύνδεσμος Αθλητικού Τύπου (in Greek). 24 December 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Ελευθερίου", 1o Γενικό Λύκειο Νέου Ψυχικού "μάνος (20 December 2022). "1ο Γενικό Λύκειο (ΓΕΛ) Νέου Ψυχικού "ΜΑΝΟΣ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΥ": Τελετή Ονοματοδοσίας του Γυμναστηρίου του 1ου Λυκείου Ν. Ψυχικού σε «ΚΛΕΙΣΤΟ ΓΥΜΝΑΣΤΗΡΙΟ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ ΓΚΑΒΕΛΑΣ»". 1ο Γενικό Λύκειο (ΓΕΛ) Νέου Ψυχικού "ΜΑΝΟΣ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΥ". Retrieved 4 September 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ ΕΡΤ Α.Ε. (21 December 2023). Βραβεία ΠΣΑΤ 2023 | Κορυφαίος αθλητής με αναπηρία ο Νάσος Γκαβέλας | 21/12/2023 | ΕΡΤ. Retrieved 4 September 2026 – via YouTube.