AGE: 32 COUNTRY: Greece EVENT: Men's weight lifting, 85 kg THE DRAMA: In front of his home crowd, Dimas could become Olympic weight lifting's first four-time gold medalist THE COMPETITION: Izzet Ince of Turkey, who beat Dimas at the Europeans, and Chinese powerhouse Yuan Aijun
Posted Sunday, August 8, 2004; 11.13BST
The hopes of the host nation rest on the broad shoulders of weight lifter Pyrros Dimas, and, he says, "the pressure is immense." It's a good thing, then, that he's used to Olympic pressure. Dimas topped the podium in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney, and is one of just two weight lifters in Olympic history to have won three gold medals. (The other is Turkey's Naim Suleymanoglu.) A victory in Athens would make him the first in his sport ever to win four.
Dimas is a legend in his adopted homeland. (He was born to a Greek family in Chimara, Albania, hence his nickname, the Lion of Chimara.) After his first victory, in 1992, thousands packed Athens' Panathinaiko Stadium which hosted the first modern Games in 1896 to welcome him home.
Such staunch support has boosted Dimas' confidence over the years; it's particularly important, he says, since "everything in my sport begins from the mind." But you can't think your arms into lifting 200 kg over your head. Dimas has competed sparingly since the last Olympics and has struggled with both injury and technique. At the European Championships in May, he placed only fourth. "I've learned to overcome pain. I'll try to overcome this situation as well," he says. "You can't mess with nature or God."
Some divine intervention and a win would give him and his country a much-needed lift after all the downbeat reports about Greece's preparations for the Games. "I know that the Greek people will support me whether I do well or not," he says, sounding like he's trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. "I've given it all." Will all be enough? In Athens, we'll see if the weight of a nation's hopes is more than even a giant like Dimas can bear.
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