Bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics, judoka Theodoros Tselidis In an interview with , he said he decided to play for the Greek national team because the level of competition in Russia was too high.
Tselidis, representing the Greek national team, became the bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The native of North Ossetia defeated Tristan Mosakhlishvili (Spain) in the fight for bronze in the weight category up to 90 kg.
— How did you end up on the Greek judo team?
— I was born and raised in Vladikavkaz, my father is Greek and my mother is Ossetian. I started judo at the age of 14, in 2011. My father told me that there was a place in the city where you could go to the gym for free. I signed up, but I only went to swing. And then it got interesting, however, from the first competitions I was destroyed: I lost to everyone. I felt offended by the defeat and began to practice judo more seriously and professionally.
Then I started thinking about whether in the future I could play for Greece if it didn’t work out in Russia. However, the level of competition in the Russian team is higher: if you are not a unique talent, then it will be difficult to break through.
In 2017, I finished second at the Russian Championship and made the national team. But my personal coach and I thought about it and decided that we should try to compete for Greece.
“But you couldn’t do it alone…
— I wrote to Nikos Iliadis, the father of Ilias Iliadis and the head coach of the Greek judo team. We contacted him on social networks, he speaks Russian fluently. I knew that without results they would not take me anywhere, but at that time I had silver at the Russian Championship, which is appreciated all over the world. Nikos said he was interested in me and invited me to Greece, and then entered me in the Grand Slam in Tbilisi. “I already had citizenship,” Tselidis told .
Tselidis is the silver medalist of the 2017 Russian Championship. In 2018, North Ossetian native Fedor Tselidis decided to play for the Greek national team under the name Theodoros Tselidis.
The Olympic Games in the French capital will end on August 11.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
