Lefteris Petrounias took third place in the final of the Rings with 15,200 points, after an excellent performance.

Lefteris Petrounias, despite the adversities he has faced lately, conducted an impressive and very difficult program, however a misstep at the end cost him.

Thus, after the gold medal in Rio in 2016, the "Lord of the Rings" won the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, making all Greeks proud.

At the same time, he became the 2nd Greek after Demosthenes Tabakos (gold, silver) with two medals in the rings.

His impressive effort

Lefteris Petrounias in the final garnered 15,200 points. The gold medal was won by China's Liu Yang with 15,500 and the silver by his compatriot Hao Yoo with 15,300.

It is recalled that Petrounias' coach, Dimitris Raftis, stressed that in November 2019 Lefteris Petrounias was virtually out of the Olympics and it is a miracle that he was present in Tokyo qualifying for his last match in Doha.

Huge success

Of course, this is a huge success if we consider what Lefteris Petrounias has achieved in the last three years.

The 31-year-old gymnast underwent surgery on his left shoulder, battled against time and finally qualified for the Olympics almost a month before Tokyo 2020.

It is recalled that his coach, Dimitris Raftis, stressed that in November 2019 Lefteris Petrounias was virtually out of the Olympics and it is a miracle that he was present in Tokyo qualifying for his last match in Doha.

Third on the podium

Petrounias was smiling at the end of his effort, but his disappointment also showed as he did not manage to get a second gold at the Olympic Games.

The award ceremony followed, with the bronze medalist taking Greece to third place on the podium.

The final ranking:

Yang Liu (China) 15,500

Hao Yoo (China) 15,300

Lefteris Petrounias (Greece) 15,200

Samir Aid Said (France) 14,900

Ibrahim Tsolak (Turkey) 14,866

Dennis Amblyazin (Russia) 14,833

Adem Asil (Turkey) 16,600

Arthur Zanetti (Brazil) 14,133

"Vindication for those who believed in me, rendezvous in Paris"

"The medal is dedicated to Greece and my daughters. I feel very full. It was an excellent and difficult final," the bronze medalist said in his first statements, referring to the adverse conditions he has faced lately.

"There was a lot of pressure and the emotions are very mixed."

"I have a bittersweet taste, I like to win and you can be sure that I will win again. I have not yet fully comprehended getting the medal. It means justification for me and those that continued to believe in me even in difficult times and it is an answer to those who stopped believing in me after the surgery," he added.

Asked what he would say to his mother, he replied: "Mom, I did it. We will rendezvous in Paris, we will book first class."

According to the forecast data of the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr, maximum temperatures of 44-46 degrees Celsius are expected on Monday, August 2, 2021, while the risk of occurrence and spread of forest fires remains very high, at least until next Monday. (02 / 08-03 / 08).

The forecast map below shows the maximum temperatures for Monday 02/08 with the whitest shade corresponding to temperatures higher than 42 degrees Celsius (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Maximum temperatures for Monday 02/08/2021 from the forecast model of the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr.

Also, particularly unfavorable pyro-meteorological conditions are expected to prevail in the country throughout the week. Thus the peak of the heat wave is expected to be accompanied by the peak of the danger for the occurrence and spread of forest fires.

Based on the Canadian pyrometeorological index calculated operationally by the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr, a very high risk is expected today, Monday, August 2, 2021, in Attica, Boeotia, South Evia, Peloponnese, Crete, Cyclades, Cyclades, M , Ikaria, Lefkada, Cephalonia, Zakynthos, Epirus, Western Sterea, Western Macedonia, Western Thessaly, and in places in Central Macedonia and Evros.

[caption id="attachment_182720" align="alignnone" width="600"] Figure 2: Danger for occurrence and spread of forest fires based on the Canadian fire meteorological index that is operationally calculated by the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr for Monday 02/08/2021.[/caption]

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, is expected to be even more dangerous, as we expect a very high risk in most of our country, and especially in: Attica, Viotia, Fthiotida, Evia, Peloponnese, Crete, Cyclades, Dodecanese, Mytilene, Mytilene Samothrace, Chios, Samos, Ikaria, Lefkada, Cephalonia, Zakynthos, Epirus, Western Sterea, Macedonia, Thessaly, and in places in Evros (Figure 3).

It is pointed out that the prolonged heat conditions prevailing in the country have increased the flammability of dead fuel to extremely high levels in almost the entire territory, making any use of fire extremely dangerous. The National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr appeals to avoid any use of fire today and in the next few days, in order to avoid the possibility of a fire.