Andorra: Cyprus is leading the medal table after the second day of the 20th Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) in Andorra. Cyprus is first with 56 medals, followed by Luxembourg with 45 and Iceland with 36, with Cypriot athletes having so far won 17 gold medals, 16 silver and 23 bronze.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Cyprus men’s team won first place in 3×3 Basketball, adding another gold medal to the country’s tally at the GSSE. The Cypriot team, consisting of Kyprianos Maragkos, Panagiotis Markou, Viktor Ieronymides, and Marios Georgiou, prevailed in the final against host Andorra 21-13. The women’s team secured fourth place, confirming the high level of the sport on the island. In the third-place match, Cypriot athletes Panagiota Kyriakou, Dimitra Papalla, Panayiota Themistocleous and Eleni Mavroudi were defeated by Monaco 19-14.
Cyprus achieved significant distinctions in karate on the second day of the Games, with Cypriot athletes winning a total of three medals, one silver and two bronze, for a total of eight medals. In the men’s -75 kg category, Alex Michael reached the final but was unable to prevail against the athlete from Montenegro, thus winning the silver medal. In the women’s -61 kg category, Anthia Stylianou secured the bronze medal, while in the men’s -84 kg category, Dimitris Dimitriadis also brought a bronze medal to Cyprus.
The Cyprus men’s rugby team completed its participation in the Games with one win and two losses, finishing third in its group. They lost to Monaco and Luxembourg but defeated Liechtenstein. The Cypriot athletes will compete on Friday for places 5 to 8, aiming to finish the competition with the best possible ranking.
In shooting, Cypriot athletes Annita Koukouli and Georgia Konstantinidou won the silver and bronze medals in trap shooting. In the air pistol (10m), Constantina Pratsi won the silver medal and Christiana Georgiou took the bronze. Nikolas Kyriakou stood out for his sportsmanship in the shooting final, where he protested for his opponent’s shot to be counted, allowing the athlete from San Marino to win gold.
In beach volleyball, the men’s duo, Charalambos Zorpis and George Chrysostomou, scored their first victory over Liechtenstein, keeping their hopes alive after their defeat in the opening match. In the women’s category, Erica Nystrom and Vasiliki Laspou lost to Luxembourg.
Cyprus won one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in artistic gymnastics. The gold medal was won by Michalis Haris in the rings event. Neophytos Savva took silver in the same event, and Kyriakos Markides won bronze in the floor exercise. Eleana Panayiotou narrowly missed a bronze medal in the vault event due to her lower starting value in the program.
In tennis, Andrea Georgiou Papakyriakou and Nina Andronikou advanced to the semifinals. Andreas Timini qualified for the quarterfinals of the men’s singles, while Stylianos Christodoulou was eliminated in the round of 16.
The Cyprus national volleyball team secured its second victory in the tournament against Malta. In athletics, Adriana Panteli won the gold medal in the women’s pole vault. Olivia Fotopoulou won gold in the women’s 100m, and Chrystalla Hadjipolydorou won gold in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. The 4x400m mixed relay team also claimed gold. Other notable achievements included a silver medal for Stavrini Filippou in the women’s 800m and a bronze for Alicia Finnis in the women’s 10,000m.