Athlete Spotlight: Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece is on top of her game



The above race video shows Alexandra Tsiavou (stroke) and her partner in the lightweight women's double, Christina Giazitzidou (bow), making yet another podium appearance in the 2012 season – this time racing to a silver medal at the European Championships in Varese, Italy. The combination has been the most successful women's lightweight crew over the past several seasons, consistently placing among the medals, but no individual lightweight athlete has been as successful as Alexandra Tsiavou (our RoRy winner for Female Athlete at the Elite Level in 2011). In fact, to find the last time that Tsiavou entered an international race without coming away with a medal, you have to go back to the final of the lightweight women's double in Beijing, when Tsiavou (just 23 years of age at the time) and then partner Chrisi Biskitzi placed sixth overall.

Since then, Tsiavou has been on an absolute tear. After winning the world championship title for the second time in three years in the lightweight women's double in Bled last year, Tsiavou had another incredible season in 2012. Tsiavou and Giazitzidou took gold at the first world cup, bronze in Lucerne, and bronze at the Olympic Games, before Tsiavou entered the lightweight single at senior worlds in Plovdiv. And guess what? She won.

For more, check out FISA's latest video interview with Alexandra Tsiavou, shot prior to the Lucerne World Rowing Cup this year, as well as a written interview with Tsiavou from the 2010 season.

-RR

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