Athletics Champion

Elefteria Papadopoulou is a Greek track and field champion from Thessaloniki. She graduated from the Department of Physical Education and Sports. She excelled in the 400- and 800-meter races. Throughout her athletic career, she competed successfully in Panhellenic and Balkan competitions in all age groups, from Pankorasids to women, in both outdoor and indoor track and field.

In 1994, at the age of 24, she prematurely retired from competition and championships to devote herself to raising her two daughters, Corina and Olympia. However, in 2003, after a ten-year hiatus, she returned to athletics at the age of 34, with dreams of competing at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Upon her return, she achieved remarkable success with the national team, winning the 4×400-meter relay in both the outdoor and indoor events. The greatest achievement of her career came at the 2004 World Indoor Championships in Budapest. She placed sixth in the world in the women’s 4x400m relay, joining Chrissa Kuntenoudi, Georgia Koumnagi, and Fani Chalgia. The Greek team set a national record of 3:29:23, a record that still stands today.

Unfortunately, her dream of competing at the 2004 Olympics in Athens was not fulfilled due to an injury that prevented her from joining the 4x400m relay team. However, she continued competing for another year, highlighting her sixth-place finish in the 4x400m relay at the 2005 European Indoor Championships in Madrid.

After the Championships

After retiring from athletics, Eleftheria Papadopoulou became a coach, working with athletes until 2014. At the same time, she continued her amateur training and participated in road races, including both asphalt and mountain marathons.

The couple, along with her husband, George Karagiannis, a former marathon champion, founded Golden Marathon Tours, a company specializing in organizing trips and excursions for runners to major international marathons. With a special focus on the six Abbott World Marathon Majors,

She also made history by becoming the first Greek woman to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors in just 26 months. Her journey began in the 2016 Tokyo Marathon and ended with the prestigious Boston Marathon.

Beyond road running, she excelled in mountain running, having completed the Olympia Marathon, one of the most difficult mountain races in Greece, twice.

Eleftheria Papadopoulou is a renowned figure in Greek sports, having made significant contributions to both athletics and the popularization of running in Greece.