Greek dentist, 44, competing… in his sixth Olympiad
Panagiotis Gionis, a 44-year-old dentist and table tennis player, will compete in the Olympics for the sixth time in Paris. So far, among Greek athletes, only Evangelia Psarra (archery), Agathi “Agi” Kassoumi (shooting) and Anastasios “Tasos” Bountouris (sailing) have achieved this feat.
Gionis knows about forehand, backhand, service and tactics, but he also knows about fillings, implants and extractions
The Greek champion made it through in the 2024 European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo. Gionis defeated Slovakia’s Yang Wang 4-0 in four sets, securing one of the two spots from that tournament. His opponent was one of the favorites for qualification but the 44-year-old dentist didn’t leave him much room to prove it.
Gionis knows about forehand, backhand, service and tactics, but he also knows about fillings, implants and extractions. Being a top-level athlete leaves him with very little time to practice his profession. “In order not to forget what I’ve learned, I practice with relatives and friends,” he said, half-jokingly, in a previous interview with Kathimerini.
Gionis’ involvement with table tennis began in childhood. A club was based near his home, and at the age of 9, he entered the world of table tennis. Initially, it was a game for him, but it soon became a more serious affair. His talent quickly shone, and at the age of 12, he won the gold medal at the Balkan Championship for under-15s. Since then, there have been many other distinctions: a gold medal in the Mediterranean Games, medals in European championships and cups and, of course, qualifications for the Olympic Games. From 2004 until today, he has been counting his life years in Olympiads, staying true to his lucky charms and values.
His lucky charm is none other than a phone call to his mother. Before every important game, that call provides him with the psychological support he needs. If he forgets, his coach reminds him. For the past 24 years, he has competed outside Greece. However, in 2022, he decided to wear the colors of Panathinaikos. “I am a Panathinaikos fan. I didn’t do it for money. I could have gotten more money from another team. I wanted to wear the colors of Panathinaikos before my career draws to a close,” he said in a previous interview.
In 2021, after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, Gionis had said that his aim was to also qualify for Paris – a daunting task, he said at the time, because of his age. In Sarajevo, the 44-year-old champion proved that when you love what you do, age is just a number.
