Elina Tzengko
Tzengko at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires
Personal information
Born (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002
Nea Kallikrateia, Greece
EducationAristotle University of Thessaloniki
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Sport
CountryGreece
SportTrack and field
EventJavelin throw
ClubA.S. Kentavros, Nea Kallikrateias, Chalkidiki
Coached byGeorge Boskariov[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Greece
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichJavelin throw
World U20 Championships
Silver medal – second place2021 NairobiJavelin throw
European U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 TallinnJavelin throw
Youth Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Buenos AiresJavelin throw

Elina Tzengko (Greek: Ελίνα Τζένγκο, Albanian: Elina Xhengo;[2] born 2 September 2002[3][4]) is a Greek javelin thrower. She won the gold medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, becoming the youngest ever javelin and Greek European champion.[5] Tzengko took a silver and a gold at the 2021 World and European Under-20 Championships respectively. She is considered as one of the talents of Greek classical sport.[6][7]

Early life

Elina Tzengko was born in Greece to Albanian immigrants and grew up in Nea Kallikrateia, Chalkidiki. She has two older sisters.[8][9][10] She started athletics throwing small balls around the age of seven. When she was at primary school, she joined the sports club A.S. Kentavros Neas Kallikrateias (Αθλητικός Σύλλογος - Α.Σ. Κένταυρος Νέας Καλλικράτειας). She was big enough to handle the javelin at age 11.[11]

Tzengko received Greek citizenship on 22 June 2018.[12][13] In 2021, she started studying at School of Physical Education and Sports Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.[3]

Career

In 2018, Tzengko competed in the European Athletics Under-18 Championships in Hungary, where she placed seventh. At the Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October, she won the gold medal with throws of 63.34 m and 61.74 m, and was voted European Athletics top female athlete of the month.[14]

The following year in May, she set the world U18 best of 65.90 m (javelin 500 g) at the Panhellenic School Championships in Ioannina.[15]

On 1 August 2020, the 17-year-old threw world U20 record of 63.96 m at the Greek U20 Championships held also in Ioannina.[16] However, World Athletics refused to recognize it as a record because doping control was not conducted immediately following the completion of the competition as required by anti-doping regulations.[17]

In July 2021, she became the European U20 champion. The next month, with a throw of 59.60 m, Tzengko earned the silver medal at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.[18][19]

On 20 August 2022, still only 19, Tzengko won the gold medal with a personal best of 65.81 metres at the European Championships held in Munich.[20][21] She became the youngest athlete in her discipline – male or female – to win the title at the Europeans, the first teenager to win a European throwing title, and the youngest ever Greek European champion.[22][5] In October, Tzengko also became the first Greek athlete in history to receive European Athletics Rising Star award as she was crowned 2022 Female Rising Star.[23]

Achievements

International competitions

Representing  Greece
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventResult
2018 European U18 Championships Győr, Hungary 7th Javelin throw (500 g) 53.84 m
Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Javelin throw (500 g) 63.34 + 61.74 m
2019 European U20 Championships Borås, Sweden 4th Javelin throw 53.99 m
European Youth Summer Olympic Festival Baku, Azerbaijan – Javelin throw (500 g) DNS
2021 European Throwing Cup Split, Croatia 7th Javelin throw 58.72 m
European Team Championships, 1st League Cluj-Napoca, Romania 4th Javelin throw 54.86 m
Balkan Championships Smederevo, Serbia 1st Javelin throw 61.42 m
European U20 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 1st Javelin throw 61.18 m
World U20 Championships Nairobi, Kenya 2nd Javelin throw 59.60 m
2022 European Throwing Cup Leiria, Portugal 4th Javelin throw 54.28 m
World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 20th (q) Javelin throw 57.12 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 1st Javelin throw 65.81 m PB
2023 European Throwing Cup Leiria, Portugal 1st Javelin throw 63.65 m EU23L
European Team Championships, Division 1 Chorzow, Poland 5th Javelin throw 59.40 m
European U23 Championships Espoo, Finland 1st Javelin throw 60.73 m
World Championships Budapest, Hungary 30th (q) Javelin throw 54.27 m

National titles

References

  1. ↑ "Γιώργος Μποτσκαριώβ" [George Boskariov]. segas.gr (in Greek). SEGAS. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Elina Xhengo fiton medalje ari në hedhje shtize" [Elina Tzengko wins gold medal in javelin throw]. tvklan.al (in Albanian). Televizioni Klan. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23.
  3. 1 2 "Ελίνα Τζένγκο" [Elina Tzengko]. segas.gr (in Greek). SEGAS. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  4. ↑ "Elina TZENGKO – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  5. 1 2 "In focus | A closer look at Rising Stars Tzengko and Alekna". European Athletics. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  6. ↑ "Ελίνα Τζένγκο" [Elina Tzengko]. koutipandoras.gr (in Greek). 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23.
  7. ↑ "Eλπίδες ξανά στον στίβο: H Ελίνα Tζένγκο και 8 ακόμα φιντανάκια" [Hopes again on the track and field: Elina Tzengko and 8 more saplings]. protothema.gr (in Greek). 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23.
  8. ↑ "Flet kampionia Elina Xhengo: Nuk e kam për turp që prindërit i kam shqiptarë, por e dua edhe Greqinë" [Champion Elina Xhengo speaks: I am not ashamed that my parents are Albanian, but I also love Greece]. javanews.al (in Albanian). 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Τζένγκο στο ΦΩΣ: «Υποσχέθηκα στη μαμά μου να σταματήσει να καθαρίζει σπίτια»" [Elina Tzengko on FOS: "I promised to my mother to stop cleaning houses"]. fosonline.gr (in Greek). 4 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21.
  10. ↑ "Ελίνα Τζένγκο: «Πήρα την ελληνική υπηκοότητα λόγων των επιδόσεων μου στον αθλητισμό»" [Elina Tzengko: «I got the Greek citizenship because my performance in sports»]. protothema.gr. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-10-10.
  11. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (14 May 2023). "Tzengko targets global title and European triple". World Athletics. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ελίνα Τζένγκο: Το όχι στη Αλβανία και η αγάπη για την Ελλάδα" [Elina Tzengko: The no to Albania and the love for the Greece]. sportsfeed.gr. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-21.
  13. ↑ "Ιδρώτας και κόπος!" [Sweat and effort!]. athletestories.gr (in Greek). 21 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-08-27.
  14. ↑ "Ελίνα Τζένγκο" [Elina Tzengko]. athletestories.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  15. ↑ "Παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ Κ18 από την 16χρονη Ελίνα Τζένγκο! [Φωτογραφία]" [World record U18 from the 16-year-old Elina Jengo! (photograph)]. talentabout.gr (in Greek). 9 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23.
  16. ↑ "Παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ νεανίδων η Ελίνα Τζένγκο [63.96μ.]!" [World junior record Elina Tzengko (63.96m.)!]. avgi.gr (in Greek). I Avgi. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-08-27.
  17. ↑ Spanea, Spiridoula (14 August 2020). "Η Καθημερινή: Πώς χάνεται ένα παγκόσμιο ρεκόρ – Η ιστορία της Ελίνας" [Kathimerini: How a world record is lost - The story of Elina]. kathimerini.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  18. ↑ Stasinou, Sotiria (19 August 2021). "Αποστολή Ναϊρόμπι 2021: Δευτεραθλήτρια Κόσμου η Ελίνα Τζένγκο!" [Nairobi 2021: Elina Tzengko silver medallist]. sportsfeed.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  19. ↑ "Δεύτερη στον κόσμο η Ελίνα Τζένγκο" [Elina Tzengko second in the world]. kathimerini.gr (in Greek). 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-25.
  20. ↑ "Mondo Magic in Munich as Duplantis clears a championship record of 6.06m". European Athletics. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23. Retrieved 21 August 2022. Teenage triumph for Tzengko in the javelin
  21. ↑ Karamitrou, Mina (2022-08-21). "Μεσημεριανό Δελτίο Ειδήσεων 21 Αυγούστου 2022" [At Noon News on 21 August 2022]. tvopen.gr (in Greek). Open TV. Archived from the original on 2022-08-25. Live broadcast from Nea Kallikrateia with Elina Tzengko's sister Isabella saying: "My sister training in miserable inappropriate facilities…"
  22. ↑ "Ευρωπαϊκό Πρωτάθλημα Στίβου: Η Ελίνα Τζένγκο πήρε το χρυσό στον ακοντισμό!" [Elina Tzengko get the gold medal in javelin]. protothema.gr (in Greek). 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  23. ↑ "Rising Star Tzengko to target European U23 gold in Espoo". European Athletics. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
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