Stefani Bismpikou (also spelled Bisbikou; born June 27, 1988) 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 ...

artistic

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

who competed at the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

. She is the first Greek female gymnast ever to win a medal at the European Championships, and has also won several medals on the World Cup circuit. Her best apparatus is the

balance beam The balance beam is a rectangular artistic gymnastics apparatus and an event performed using the apparatus. Both the apparatus and the event are sometimes simply referred to as "beam". The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring i ...

Background

Bismpikou was born in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. She has an older sister who is a competitive diver, and two younger brothers who play

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

. Bismpikou began gymnastics in 1992. As a young gymnast, she admired

Elena Zamolodchikova Elena "Zamo" Mikhailovna Zamolodchikova (russian: Елена Михайловна Замолодчикова; born 19 September 1982) is a Russian former artistic gymnast, and four-time Olympic medallist. In 2015, she was inducted in the Inte ...

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Gymnastics career

As a junior, Bismpikou enjoyed a successful career on the European competitive circuit. She made her major senior Gymnastics debut at the 2003 World Championships in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

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, where she qualified to the Olympics with a score of 34.637. In early 2004, she had a strong showing at the European Championships, placing 12th in the all-around final. Bismpikou represented her country in her hometown of Athens at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. There she advanced to the individual all-around where she finished a respectable 15th with a final score of 36.499, almost two full points higher than her World Championships score the year before."Injured Bisbikou Still Hopeful For Beijing"
John Crumlish, ''International Gymnast,'' March 10, 2008 Bismpikou continued to compete in 2005, winning her first World Cup medal, silver on the balance beam, at the French International in 2005. She was 14th in the all-around at European Championships that year, and also was the all-around bronze medalist at the 2005

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 Almeria,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. She began 2006 with a strong showing at the Maribor World Cup in

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, where she was the gold medalist on beam and won two bronze medals on

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

and the

uneven bars The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...

. At the 2006 Europeans in Greece, she was a favourite to win a medal, but fell from the balance beam, handing the title to reigning Olympic Champion

Cătălina Ponor Cătălina Ponor (; born 20 August 1987) is a Romanian former artistic gymnast who competed at three Olympiads: 2004, 2012, and 2016. She won three gold medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens on balance beam, floor and as part of the R ...

. In 2007, Bismpikou became the first senior Greek gymnast to win a medal at the European Championships when she placed third on the balance beam. This accomplishment won Bismpikou great praise in Greece and she was voted second place in the 2007 Female Greek Athlete of the year awards.
Speaking in early 2008, Bismpikou said that she was touched by the award and was pleased her gymnastics efforts were being acknowledged by her fellow Greeks. At the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2007 World Championships, Bismpikou qualified to represent Greece at the 2008 Olympics. At the Olympics, she participated in the qualifying round of competition, placing 39th overall.Preliminary competition standings
NBC Olympics, August 2008 Bismpikou has stated that she still loves gymnastics and hopes to continue after the Olympics.
/ref> She has also indicated that she plans to pursue university studies to become a

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many c ...

References

External links

* * http://www.gymbox.net/stephanie_bisbikou.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20070608005029/http://www.designedbytim.com/gymnstands/code/bisbikou.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Bismpikou, Stefani 1988 births Living people Greek female artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts for Greece Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics Gymnasts from Athens Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Greece Competitors at the 2005 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in gymnastics