Voula Patoulidou

Voula Patoulidou is best remembered for her surprise 100 metre hurdles victory at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After setting a national record 12.88 in the semi, she became the first Greek female athlete ever to reach a track final in the Olympic Games. American Gail Devers was favored in the final and led comfortably after nine hurdles, but then hit the last hurdle and stumbled. Taking advantage of that, Patoulidou took gold in a personal best 12.64.

Patoulidou started her athletics career as a long jumper, but switched to sprints and hurdling in 1987. After her Olympic victory, Patoulidou switched back to long jumping, competing in that event throughout most of 1990s, although at the end of her career, she returned to sprinting. Besides her Olympic gold, Patoulidou won 100 m and 100 m hurdles golds at the 1990 Balkan Games, and 100 m gold and 100 m hurdles silver at the 1991 Mediterranean Games. At the Balkan Games she added a long jump gold in 1994, 4x100 relay gold in 2000, 100 m and 100 m hurdles silver in 1992, and long jump bronze in 1989. She was also Greek long jump champion in 1986 and 1994, 100 m champion in 1988-90 and 1992, and 100 m hurdles champion in 1989-90 and 1992.

Patoulidou finished her sporting career as a reserve for the Greek 4x100 m relay team at the 2004 Olympics. After her retirement, she entered politics as a member of party PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement). In 2014, she was elected from the Prefecture of Thessaloniki and later served as the deputy mayor of Thessaloniki.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.27 (1990); 100H – 12.64 (1992); LJ – 6.93 (1999).