Athens, 16 August 2004, Games of the XXVIII Olympiad. Thomas BIMIS (R) and Nikolaos SIRANIDIS of Greece pose with their gold medals for the men's synchronised diving springboard event at the Olympic Aquatic Centre. Credit: Getty Images/Daniel BerehulakBorn: 26 February 1976
Birthplace: Athens (Greece)
Nationality: Greece
Sport: Aquatics
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Atlanta 1996
Sydney 2000
Athens 2004
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 1
First Greek Victory of Athens Games
Diver Nikolaos Siranidis was an experienced Olympian, having taken part in the 1996 and 2000 Games. In 1996, Siranidis had placed 26th in the preliminaries of the springboard event and in 2000 he had placed 36th. As the host nation, Greece was allowed to enter a pair in the synchronized springboard diving event. The Greeks were represented by Siranidis and Thomas Bimis. There were eight teams and a straight final with no preliminary round. Each pair performed five dives. Siranidis and Bimis got off to a good start, taking the lead after the first dive. However they soon drifted back into the pack. They were in fifth place after three dives and fourth after four. The Chinese and American pairs were in first and second place, but both missed their final dives badly. Meanwhile, Siranidis and Bimis, encouraged by the wild support of the crowd, performed a spectacular last dive -- an inward 3? somersault tuck -- and won the event by 3.33 points. It was the first Greek victory of the Athens Olympics.
