Giorgos Roubanis, Greece’s oldest living Olympic medalist, passes away aged 95

Giorgos Roubanis, Greece’s oldest living Olympic medalist, passed away Tuesday at the age of 95.

He won bronze in the pole vault at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, earning Greece’s first post-war Olympic medal – a moment of much-needed joy for a nation still recovering from World War II and the subsequent civil war.

Roubanis secured his bronze medal with a 4.50-meter leap, setting a national record at the time.

The son of a gymnast who encouraged his children to pursue sports, Roubanis was initially involved in boxing, basketball, and track and field before discovering his exceptional talent in the pole vault.

Roubanis, who was the flag bearer for Greece at the Melbourne Olympics, traveled to Australia from the US, where he had relocated. He later competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics but did not achieve success and retired from athletics the following year.

Roubanis remained in the US, where he founded an advertising company and worked closely with Greek-American film industry pioneer Spyros Skouras, the president of 20th Century-Fox from 1942 to 1962. Upon returning to Greece, he established his own film distribution company.

He remained passionate about sports well into his later years, regularly visiting the Panellinios club to support all its divisions. In 1985, Roubanis co-founded the Association of Greek Olympians.

His funeral will take place on February 17 at Athens’ First Cemetery.

Source: ekathimerini.com