- Sofia Sakorafa
Sofia Sakorafa ( _el. Σοφία Σακοράφα, born
April 29 ,1957 ) is a formerjavelin throw er fromGreece .She was born in
Trikala .She broke the world record on
16-09-1982 with a throw of 74.20 metres. That mark stood as a Greek record until the new javelin was introduced in1999 .Sakorafa started competing in athletics at age fifteen as a member of Trikala Gymnastic Club. In total, Sakorafa – often pushed by her antagonism with
Anna Verouli – broke the Greek record for the javelin seventeen times. She competed in the1976 and1980 Summer Olympics .Sakorafa is currently a physical education teacher. Besides athletics, she is also a political activist and has espoused several causes in her lifetime including world peace, women's rights, and Palestinian rights.
Sakorafa has served on the City Councils of
Athens andMaroussi . She also nearly won a seat in the Hellenic Parliament under the banner ofPASOK .Sakorafa stirred controversy in
2004 when she became a Palestinian citizen and applied at the last minute for a berth on the Palestinian Olympic team at the age of 47. She made her debut representing Palestine in Chania, Crete, onJune 28 ,2004 - her performance was 47.23. Despite the fact that her gesture to participate as a Palestinian was symbolic, theIAAF ruled her ineligible for the2004 Summer Olympics . [ [http://www.allbusiness.com/middle-east/israel/196393-1.html "Olympics: IOC Blocks Greek Javelin Champion's Olympic Comeback for Palestine"] , Agence France-Presse, August 11, 2004]References
* [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-4190090_ITM Info]
* [http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/athlete=64741 IAAF Profile]
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