_2018.jpg) Tzengko at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 September 2002 Nea Kallikrateia, Greece |
| Education | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Greece |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Javelin throw |
| Club | A.S. Kentavros, Nea Kallikrateias, Chalkidiki |
| Coached by | George Boskariov[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | |
Medal record | |
Elina Tzengko (Greek: Ελίνα Τζένγκο, Albanian: Elina Xhengo;[2] born 2 September 2002[3][4]) is a Greek javelin thrower. She won the gold medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, becoming the youngest ever javelin and Greek European champion.[5] Tzengko took a silver and a gold at the 2021 World and European Under-20 Championships respectively. She is considered as one of the talents of Greek classical sport.[6][7]
Elina Tzengko was born in Greece to Albanian immigrants and grew up in Nea Kallikrateia, Chalkidiki. She has two older sisters.[8][9][10] She started athletics throwing small balls around the age of seven. When she was at primary school, she joined the sports club A.S. Kentavros Neas Kallikrateias (Αθλητικός Σύλλογος - Α.Σ. Κένταυρος Νέας Καλλικράτειας). She was big enough to handle the javelin at age 11.[11]
Tzengko received Greek citizenship on 22 June 2018.[12][13] In 2021, she started studying at School of Physical Education and Sports Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.[3]
In 2018, Tzengko competed in the European Athletics Under-18 Championships in Hungary, where she placed seventh. At the Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October, she won the gold medal with throws of 63.34 m and 61.74 m, and was voted European Athletics top female athlete of the month.[14]
The following year in May, she set the world U18 best of 65.90 m (javelin 500 g) at the Panhellenic School Championships in Ioannina.[15]
On 1 August 2020, the 17-year-old threw world U20 record of 63.96 m at the Greek U20 Championships held also in Ioannina.[16] However, World Athletics refused to recognize it as a record because doping control was not conducted immediately following the completion of the competition as required by anti-doping regulations.[17]
In July 2021, she became the European U20 champion. The next month, with a throw of 59.60 m, Tzengko earned the silver medal at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.[18][19]
On 20 August 2022, still only 19, Tzengko won the gold medal with a personal best of 65.81 metres at the European Championships held in Munich.[20][21] She became the youngest athlete in her discipline – male or female – to win the title at the Europeans, the first teenager to win a European throwing title, and the youngest ever Greek European champion.[22][5] In October, Tzengko also became the first Greek athlete in history to receive European Athletics Rising Star award as she was crowned 2022 Female Rising Star.[23]
