My Favorite Athlete My Favorite Athlete This assignment was created by: Katerina Papagianni, Marilena Nikitaki

Nikos Kaklamanakis Nikolaos "Nikos" Kaklamanakis is the Greek Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Greek2004 Summer OlympicsAthensGreek2004 Summer OlympicsAthens One of the most popular athletes in Greece, Nikolaos Kaklamanakis is a three-time Mistral class windsurfing world champion and a gold medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Sailing. He won silver in the event at the 2003 World Championships in Cádiz, Spain, behind Przemek Miarczynski of Poland. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Kaklamanakis took the silver medal behind Gal Fridman of Israel. Four years later, in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games he finished 6th in the RS:X Men Sailing Race. windsurfing1996 Summer OlympicsCádizSpainPoland2004 Summer Olympics AthensGal FridmanIsrael RS:Xwindsurfing1996 Summer OlympicsCádizSpainPoland2004 Summer Olympics AthensGal FridmanIsrael RS:X

In 1997 he put a bet with himself and with the elements of nature and won, carrying out all the windsurfing him yperdiaplou from Sunio to the island within two days. Then Nikolas Kaklamanakis wanted to test the limits and at the same time to raise his country, the Greek tourism and trying to claim the Olympic Games of 2004

Fourteen years later, twice Olympic sailing climbs back onto the surfboard and sets sail once more exceeded: to circumnavigate the Aegean Covering 320 miles in two days!

Ally with the air and drawing inspiration, energy, strength and motivation from his soul, but also by the internal need to prove that Greece knows how to play and can defeat the champion 43chronos will launch the boat from Andros in waters which threw baby's father and baptized yachtsman will pass successively from Mykonos, the sacred island of Delos, and from Amorgos, will then cross the small Cyclades (Donousa Koufonisia) and after a stop Tilos will solve the cloth in Karpathos. There in the blue waters of the Aegean, Nicolas will give another great battle, which he regards as a duty toward Greece and the Greeks, who stifled by the economic situation, squeezed, tortured and vilified internationally...

For Nicholas this bold venture is (another) way of life. Faithful to the sententious words of Nick Foscolo that "every time I come to a Ithaca, like the Iliad from the beginning", the recognized as the premier player in world history of surfing, get strength from the Aegean and love, but also confidence they showed him the first time the Greeks. "It's a form of compensation: I got many great things in sport and want to give back and share with the world, everything received and besides champion made ​​ me a better person. My ambition is also to offer to this my attempt at an argument new generation and a weapon to fight against gods and demons, as in a sailing race. the charm of traveling through the sea is irresistible and my my how the flame is still alive, so we want to share with the world ".

The four main areas in which the project moves Nicholas Kaklamanaki and are the slogans of the Crossing of 2011 are as follows: * The Greek who believes and wants to fight and win * The Aegean which has its own cradle and is an enduring power of frieze * The conveying dramatic performances and inedible messages to the new generation * By the power of Greece, in spite of the times, dreaming, aims, trying, it works!

International Titles * Mediterranean Games 1993: 1st * European Championships 1994: 1st * Global Rankings 1995: first * European Championships 1995: 3rd * Global Rankings 1996: first * World Championship 1996: 2nd * World Championship 2000: 1st * World Championship 2001: 1st * World Championship 2003: 2nd * International Sailing Meeting in Cascais, Portugal 2006 vessels RSX: first Nikos Kaklamanakis will eventually take part in the Beijing Olympics after opting against Byron Kokkalani. * Mediterranean Games 1993: 1st * European Championships 1994: 1st * Global Rankings 1995: first * European Championships 1995: 3rd * Global Rankings 1996: first * World Championship 1996: 2nd * World Championship 2000: 1st * World Championship 2001: 1st * World Championship 2003: 2nd * International Sailing Meeting in Cascais, Portugal 2006 vessels RSX: first Nikos Kaklamanakis will eventually take part in the Beijing Olympics after opting against Byron Kokkalani.