MC’s Tsourtsoulas helps native Greece win silver at World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Pioneer senior competes in Senior B Lightweight Men's Four

July 24, 2006
HAZEWINKEL, Belgium — For the second straight year, senior Marietta College rower Evan Tsourtsoulas (Kastoria, Greece) will be bringing back some extra luggage when he returns to campus this fall. Tsourtsoulas, a citizen of both the United States and Greece, helped the Greeks capture the silver medal in the Senior B Lightweight Men's Four at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships Sunday (July 23) afternoon.

Tsourtsoulas, who also won a silver medal in the Senior B Men's Pair at the event in Amsterdam last year, teamed up with fellow countrymen Nikolas and Apostolos Gkountoulas and Evangelos Koulourizos for the event that featured 13 countries. Both the Greek and Italian shells came off the start line strong with Italy holding a slim lead. Germany moved into second place at the 1,000-meter mark, but Greece reclaimed the second slot with 500 meters remaining. It was a three-way sprint at the finish, with the Italians taking gold (5:58.88), Greece winning silver (6:00.60) and Germany settling for bronze (6:00.82).

The Under 23 Championships was not the only international event Tsourtsoulas competed in this summer. Two days after clinching the Dad Vail gold medal as a member of the Marietta Varsity Eight, he began his summer, training as a member of the Greek National Crew Team in Schinas, Greece, site of 2004 Olympic rowing.

On May 21, he flew to Munich with his team, as a supplement, to the first of three Men’s World Cups, where he continued intense training under the supervision of his national coach, Gianni Postilioni.

After the Munich event, Tsourtsoulas returned to Ioannia, Greece, where he paired up with fellow countryman Johnny Kourkourikes and on July 7 began participation in his first men’s divisional World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland, stroking in a LM2-. They missed qualification for the grand finales by one-tenth of a second and came in eighth place overall.

A record number 54 nations, represented by over 780 athletes in 20 events, entered the 2006 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. The event acts as a stepping-stone for athletes on their way to elite status who have advanced from junior status, but are still developing their skills.