Christina Giazitzidou ( el, Χριστίνα Γιαζιτζίδου; born 12 October 1989) is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

. She won the bronze medal (along with Alexandra Tsiavou) at the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, in the Women's lightweight double sculls.

Personal life and early career

Giazitzidou was born in

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the weste ...

, Macedonia,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, where she lives till today.Worldrowing.com:Christina Giazitzidou.
/ref> She turned to

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

when she was about ten years old as a member of the Nautical Club of Kastoria (which is also her current club). Her first major international competition was during the 2006

World Rowing U23 Championships World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is l ...

which was held in

Hazewinkel The Hazewinkel is a 2,000 m rowing and regatta course belonging to Bloso in Heindonk, municipality of Willebroek, near Mechelen, Belgium. The site consists of a finishing tower, boathouses, a cafeteria and eight basic huts that house athl ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

.Worldrowing.com:Christina Giazitzidou – Results.
/ref> She won bronze at the 2007 World Rowing Junior Championships in the women's quad sculls.

Later achievements

In 2009, she first competed along with Alexandra Tsiavou in Women's lightweight double sculls during 2009 World Rowing Championships in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

. Giazitzidou and Tsiavou won the gold medal. The following year, the

duo won the bronze medal in Karapiro, and in 2011 Giazitzidou and her teammate won the gold again. They also won gold in the event in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 European Championships. Giazitzidou also won the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Under-23 World Championships with Triantafyllia Kalampoka, following the pair winning the silver in 2008. Giazitzidou won the bronze medal (along with Alexandra Tsiavou) at the 2012 Summer Olympics in

, in Women's lightweight double sculls. They won the silver medal in the same event at the 2012 European Championships.

Comeback in Greece

Christina Giazitzidou is originally from Chionato of Akrites Municipal Unit, in her honor an event was held in the settlement and in the area
Municipal Football Field
was built in her name.

References

External links

* *
Κωπηλασία: Χάλκινο μετάλλιο για τις Τσιάβου – Γιαζιτζίδου.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giazitzidou, Christina 1989 births Living people Greek female rowers Rowers from Kastoria Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers of Greece Olympic bronze medalists for Greece Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Greece European Rowing Championships medalists