Michalis Koussis (Greek: Μιχάλης Κούσης; 10 October 1953 – 24 May 2005) was a Greek Olympian

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

and

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. Koussis was born in 1953 in Agrinio in Aetolia-Acarnania, western Greece. He was an athlete of the Agrinio Gymnast Company (GEA) and a member of the Greece national team from 1971 to 1987. He participated in the Olympic Games in 1976 and in 1984 and achieved many Panhellenic and Balkan records in marathon running. He finished fourth in the 1980 Boston Marathon. His greatest moment was the gold medal which he won in 1979, during the

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fir ...

, in Split, in present-day Croatia, where he finished just slightly away from the world record. In the same year, he was named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year. He ran for the 1982 European Championships Marathon.

Olympics

He was included in the Greece delegations in the

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

. He died in 2005, from heart problems, while training on a beach in Thessaloniki.

References

External links

Τα ΝΕΑ: Final goodbye for Michalis KoussisRunningnews.gr - Michalis Koussis died
1953 births 2005 deaths Sportspeople from Agrinio Greek male long-distance runners Greek male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Greece Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Greece Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Mediterranean Games {{Greece-athletics-bio-stub