Martha Matsa ( gr, Μάρθα Μάτσα; born April 5, 1987) is a Greek swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She is a two-time Olympian (2004 and 2008), and a member of the swimming team for HAN Thessaloniki. When her nation

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 with ...

hosted 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), ...

Athens 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 ...

, Matsa made her Olympic debut as a 17-year-old, competing in two swimming events. She posted a FINA B-standard of 25.61 (50 m freestyle) from an Olympic test event at the

Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre The Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre is a complex at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, that was built for the 1991 Mediterranean Games. It was refurbished and expanded for the 2004 Summer Olympics ...

. On the first day of the Games, Matsa teamed up with

Nery Mantey Niangkouara Nery Mantey Niangkouara ( el, Νέρι Νιαγκουάρα) (born March 14, 1983 in Athens, Greece) is a Greek swimmer. She began her career at Nereus Halandri and then moved on to Panathinaikos. In 2001, she won 2 silver medals at the Medite ...

Eleni Kosti Eleni Kosti ( gr, Ελένη Κωστή; born November 6, 1985) is a Greek former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle events. She represented her nation Greece in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008), and also won a bronze medal as ...

, and

Zoi Dimoschaki Zoi Dimoschaki (Ζωή Δημοσχάκη, born February 16, 1985) is a Greek freestyle swimmer. Dimoschaki administered the Olympic Oath at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Dimoschaki competed in the women's 200 m fr ...

in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. She held liable for an early relay takeoff, when the Greeks had been disqualified from the heats. Nearly a week later, in the 50 m freestyle, Matsa placed thirty-third on the morning prelims. Swimming in heat seven, she edged out Trinidad and Tobago's Sharntelle McLean to pick up a seventh spot by four-tenths of a second (0.40) in 26.46. Matsa swam only in the 50 m freestyle at the

2008 Summer 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 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. She achieved a FINA B-standard of 25.67 from the Greece National Open Championships in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

. She challenged seven other swimmers in heat nine, including Slovakia's top favorite and five-time Olympian

Martina Moravcová Martina Moravcová (born 16 January 1976) is a Slovak medley, butterfly, and freestyle swimmer. She made her international swimming debut in 1991 for Czechoslovakia, and has gone on to compete in five consecutive Summer Olympics (1992–2008). ...

. She raced again to seventh place in 25.68, just a slimmest margin off her entry time, and 0.03 of a second behind Ukraine's

Oksana Serikova Oksana Serikova (also ''Oxana Serikova'', uk, Оксана Серікова; born June 11, 1985) is a Ukrainian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She helped out her Ukrainian team to break a national record time of 4:05.56 in ...

. Matsa failed to advance into the semifinals, as she matched her overall position from Athens in the prelims. Matsa was also selected as a reserve for the Greek squad at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, but did not compete in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. Her Greek teammates Niangkouara,

Theodora Drakou Theodora (Nora) Drakou (Greek: Θεοδώρα Δράκου) is a Greek competitive swimmer, competing for Panathinaikos. At the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as Lo ...

, Theodora Giareni, and teen sensation

Kristel Vourna Kristel Vourna (born 11 February 1992) is a Greek swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she competed in the Women's 100 metre butterfly. She took the 12th place overall, finishing 7th in the second semifinal in the 100 metre butt ...

failed to reach the top 8 final, finishing only in sixteenth place with a time of 3:45.55.

References

External links

NBC Olympics Profile
1987 births Living people Greek female freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers for Greece Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers from Thessaloniki {{Greece-swimming-bio-stub