A road of relentless effort and perseverance. A road of overcoming rejection and adversity on multiple levels.
My racing season has come to an end on a high note. I finished 12th (out of 35 qualified women in my category) at the 2016 ITU long course World Championships in Oklahoma City. I am not completely satisfied but reflecting back over the years, and seeing all the difficulties I had to overcome in order to get where I am at, I can say I am happy to close up the season and plan for the future. Let me tell you a little story to give you a perspective. When I was in elementary school, back in the early '90s in Greece, there was a two-day camp to selec t "talented" kids for the newly formed track and field team of the city. I was very keen and active at the time and I wanted with all of my heart to be in that team. I did my very best and tried with all the power of my soul to perform in the tests. But, I did not make the cut-offs and I did not get selected. I was told I was not good enough. When I moved on to high-school, I was a very good student, but I was not g...