Periklís Iakovákis (Greek: Περικλής Ιακωβάκης, [periˈklis iakoˈvacis], born 24 March 1979 in Patras) is a retired Greek athlete mainly competing in 400 metres hurdles. He is the Greek record holder with a time of 47.82 seconds and fifteen times national champion in the event.

Periklis Iakovakis
Personal information
Born (1979-03-24) March 24, 1979 (age 45)
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight77 kg (170 lb)
Sport
Country Greece
SportAthletics
Event400 m Hurdles
Medal record
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Paris 400 m hurdles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Göteborg 400 m hurdles
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2001 Tunis 400 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Mersin 4x400 m relay

He has competed at four Summer Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012) and is a six-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics. He was the world bronze medalist in 2003 and the European champion in 2006. His first major win came at the 1998 World Junior Championships and he won the gold medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games. He was named the 2003 and 2006 Greek Male Athlete of the Year.

Career

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In 1998 Iakovakis won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Annecy, France with 49.82 seconds, and five years later he won the bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris-Saint-Denis, France. In the final at the Stade de France, he finished in 48.24 seconds after Félix Sánchez and Joey Woody.

Iakovakis achieved his personal best of 47.82 seconds on 6 May 2006 in Osaka during the IAAF World Athletics Tour and won his first major competition 3 months later. He became European Champion in Gothenborg, Sweden finishing at 48.46 seconds in the final.

After his win at the European Championships, Iakovakis won the full-lap hurdles event in 47.92 seconds at the Zurich Weltklasse Golden League meet at the last evening that this top meeting would be held at the Letzigrund. The reigning European Champion was then first at the Herculis IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Monaco.

He won the bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final, which was the last edition of the competition and was held in Thessaloniki.

In 2010 he set a season target of defending his European title. He suffered a minor injury to his soleus muscle in March, but recovered and began his preparation in South Africa and Cyprus. He identified Dai Greene (the eventual winner) as his main European rival in the event. Finally he did not succeed in his goal, as he finished in the fifth place in the 2010 European final, having run in the tight first lane.[1] He was slower in the 2011 season and, for the first time since 1998, his fastest run that year was over 50 seconds. He missed a seventh consecutive appearance at the World Championships, but did compete for Greece in the First League of the 2011 European Team Championships, where he won the 400 m hurdles race. He marked a resurgence in form at the 2012 Greek Championships by winning his 15th straight national title, including a run of 49.04 seconds in the heats.[2]

Maria Sotirakopoulou has been his coach for many years.

Honours

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing   Greece
1996 World Junior Championships Sydney, Australia 34th (h) 400 m 47.98
4 × 400 m relay DNF
1997 European Junior Championships Ljubljana, Slovenia 2nd 400 m 46.68
2nd 4 × 400 relay 3:08.29
1998 World Junior Championships Annecy, France 1st 400m hurdles 49.82
7th 4 × 400 m relay 3:09.70
European Championships Budapest, Hungary 9th (sf) 4 x 400 metres relay 3:06.48 SB
1999 World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 15th (sf) 400 m 47.23
European U23 Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rd 400m hurdles 49.97
6th 4 × 400 m relay 3:06.81
World Championships Seville, Spain 17th (h) 400 m hurdles 49.53
15th (h) 4 x 400 metres relay 3:04.07 NR
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 25th (h) 400 m hurdles 50.20
18th (h) 4 x 400 metres relay 3:06.50
2001 European U23 Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 2nd 400m hurdles 49.63
6th 4 × 400 m relay 3:08.30
World Championships Edmonton, Canada 14th (sf) 400 m hurdles 49.38
Mediterranean Games Tunis, Tunisia 1st 400 m hurdles 50.21
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 5th 400 m hurdles 49.07
6th 4 x 400 metres relay 3:04.26
2003 European Cup Florence, Italy 2nd 400 m hurdles 49.23
World Championships Paris, France 3rd 400 m hurdles 48.24
6th 4 x 400 metres relay 3:02.56
IAAF World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 6th 400 m hurdles 49.25
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 11th (sf) 400 m hurdles 48.47 SB
12th (sf) 4 x 400 metres relay 3:04.27
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 13th (sf) 400 m hurdles 49.28
2006 European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 1st 400 m hurdles 48.46
World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 47.92
2007 European Cup Munich, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 48.35
World Championships Osaka, Japan 6th 400 m hurdles 49.25
2008 European Cup Annecy, France 1st 400 m hurdles 49.15
Olympic Games Beijing, China 8th 400 m hurdles 49.96
2009 European Team Championships Leiria, Portugal 2nd 400 m hurdles 50.09
World Championships Berlin, Germany 5th 400 m hurdles 48.42 SB
World Athletics Final Thessaloniki, Greece 3rd 400 m hurdles 48.90
2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain 5th 400 m hurdles 49.38 SB
2012 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 8th 400 m hurdles 50.57
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 32nd (h) 400 m hurdles 50.27
2013 Mediterranean Games Mersin, Turkey 3rd 4 x 400 metres relay 3:07.36

References

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  1. ^ ""There is only one objective this year - defend my title in Barcelona", says Greek hurdler Iakovakis". European Athletic Association. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  2. ^ Georgiotis, Vasileios (2012-06-17). [1]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-06-24.
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