Мирела Маниани: Греческая метательница копья и олимпийская медалистка

Greek javelin thrower

Mirela Maniani (Μιρέλα Μανιάνι, , born 21 December 1976) is a Greek retired track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw.

Maniani was born as Mirela Manjani on 21 December 1976 in Durrës, Albania. In 1996, at the University of Alabama she set a new Albanian national record at 62.46 m (as of 2017, she still holds the national record of Albania). She represented Albania at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA and ranked 24th overall. During the competition she was also Albania's flag bearer.

After marrying a Greek citizen, the weightlifter Georgios Tzelilis, she received Greek citizenship and represented Greece at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens. Her first major success came in 1999 in Seville, where she won the gold medal at the World Championships with a throw of 67.09 m. Her performance was considered as a world record, as a new type of javelin had been introduced in 1999. At the 2000 Summer Olympics she won the silver medal with a personal best of 67.51 m. She also won the bronze medal in 2004. Maniani is also a European champion and double world champion. Her personal best throw of 67.51 metres is the current Greek record. Maniani joined the Hellenic Navy in 1999.

Representing 1994World Junior ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal8th52.22 m (old spec. )European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland22nd (q)49.96 m (old spec. )1995World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden12th55.56 mEuropean Junior ChampionshipsNyíregyháza, Hungary 2nd59.36 m (old spec. )1996Olympic GamesAtlanta, United States24th (q)55.64 mRepresenting 1997World ChampionshipsAthens, Greece11th61.02 m1998European ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary9th58.65 m1999World ChampionshipsSeville, Spain 1st67.09 m CR2000Olympic GamesSydney, Australia 2nd 67.51 m =NR2001World ChampionshipsEdmonton, Canada 2nd65.78 m2002European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany 1st67.47 m CR2003World ChampionshipsParis, France 1st66.52 m WL2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece 3rd64.29 m