Apostolos Parellis

Apostolos Parellis

Cypriot discus thrower Apostolos Parellis.
Personal information
Born	(1985-07-24) July 24, 1985 Paliometocho, Cyprus
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	105 kg (231 lb) (2014)
Sport
Country	Cyprus
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Discus throw
Club	GSP
Coached by	Kuriakos Vasileiadis
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	65.36m. NR
Medal record Men's Discus Commonwealth Games Silver Glasgow 2014 Discus throw European Athletics U23 Championships Bronze Debrecen 2007 Discus throw Games of the Small States of Europe Gold Cyprus 2009 Discus throw Gold Liechtenstein 2011 Discus throw Silver Luxembourg 2013 Discus throw European Team Championships Gold Second League 2008 Discus throw Silver Second League 2009 Discus throw Gold Third League 2010 Discus throw Gold Third League 2011 Discus throw Gold Second League 2013 Discus throw Silver Third League 2014 Discus throw
Updated on 01 July 2014.

Apostolos Parellis (born July 24, 1985) is a professional Cypriot track and field athlete^[1] specializing in discus throw. He is the current National Record holder with 65.36m.^[2] since June 2012.

Parellis competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics^[3] in London narrowly missing a spot in the final after finishing 13th overall with an attempt of 63.48m., just seven centimetres shy of the 12th position^[4] that gave the ticket to the final.

Since breaking the National Record in 2007 for the first time (57.81m.)^[5] at the age of 22, Parellis has been the islands top discus thrower, improving his personal best another ten times. The 65.36m. mark was set in June 2012 at Chania, Crete, Greece.

Early life

Apostolos Parellis grew up at the village of Paliometocho at the west of the capital Nicosia. He attended the Anthoupoli Junior High and then the Technical School from which he graduated with a mark of 17,6/20. Parellis then went on to study Mechanical Engineering at the Frederick University and acquired the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 2012 with a GPA of 3.87/4.
Coming from a sporting family, as a youngster Apostolos watched his father Lakis^[6] win many national titles at Rally driving and especially in the 2WD category. Racing is a family tradition that Demetris Parellis,^[7] Apostolos’ brother, continues today. Apostolos and Demetris also have a younger sister.

Career year by year

Apostolos Parellis’ first major sporting success came in 2002 at the age of 17, when he took 4th position in the discus event at the 2002 Gymnasiade^[8] at Caen, France.

2007

On March 28, Parellis set his first National Record by achieving a throw of 57.81m. at the Diagoreia meeting at GSP stadium. He broke Petros Mitsides’ record of 56.39m. that stood since 2004. The new NR came while competing against the previous holder Mitsides who during that meeting also broke his personal best.
On July 14 the Cypriot discus athlete won bronze at the European Athletics U23 Championships that was held in Debrecen, Hungary, setting his second NR with a throw of 58.16m.^[9]

2008

Despite not setting a new NR during the season, 2008 was a successful year for Parellis. By winning gold in the European Team Championships Second League, he helped Cyprus achieve promotion, while he also won first position in the Pancyprian Games.

2009

Four new National Records were set during 2009 by Parellis.
In May at the Matseia meeting he threw 59.05m.^[10]
In June, Apostolos won his first medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe that were hosted in his native Cyprus. By throwing 60.55m.,^[11] he won gold and set a new Games Record along with his fourth NR.
At the end of June during the European Team Championships he set a new record 60.94m.^[12] on the road to winning silver.
The fourth and final National Record of the year came at the Summer Universiade at Belgrade, Serbia, when Parellis overcame the 61 metre mark (61.07m.)^[13] for the first time.
During the season, Parellis also competed at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy and took 7th position with 60.12m.

2010

Apostolos reached the 62 metres mark during the season.
In April during the Cyprus University Championships, Parellis again broke the National Record with a throw at 61.82m.,^[14] while two months later he set a new record during a meeting with 61.92m.^[15]
Parellis’ good run continued at the European Athletics Championships^[16] in Barcelona, Spain where he took 17th position overall (60.57m.) on July 31.
The season ended in October at the Commonwealth Games at Delhi, India, where Apostolos narrowly missed the podium,^[17] by finishing 4th. With a throw of 60.51m., the Cypriot finished just 13 centimetres away from the bronze.

2011

The year opened at the Games of the Small States of Europe at Liechtenstein in June, with Parellis having the honour of being Cyprus’ flag bearer^[18] during the opening ceremony. He went on to win gold with 59.73m.^[19]
In September, Parellis competed at the Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China, and with a throw of 61.44 he took 6th position overall.

2012

Two years after his last NR, Parellis once again improved his Personal Best in March, when he passed the 62 metres mark for the first time (62.49m.)^[20] at a throwing meeting at GSP stadium.
On June 2 Parellis broke the National Record with a throw of 63.63m. at Heraklion,^[21] Crete, Greece while the following day at Chania, Crete, Apostolos again broke the NR, this time by thrashing the National Record with a throw of 65.36m.^{[22] [23]}
In August, Parellis competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.^[24] With a throw at 63.48m. the Cypriot finished in 13th position overall, just one spot and seven centimetres away from the final. By finishing 13th in the discus event, Parellis currently has^[25] the highest placing (tied with high jump athlete Kyriakos Ioannou) by an athlete representing Cyprus in the Olympic Games track and field events.

2013

Following a difficult Olympic season, Parellis was unable to reach the same high standards during 2013.
But despite staying away from his PB, Apostolos qualified^[26] for the 2013 Athletics World Championships in Moscow, Russia, in August and took 19th position^[27] with 59.84m.
Earlier, in June Parellis won silver^[28] at the Games of the Small States of Europe in Luxembourg with a throw at 59.11m. and seventh position (59.40m.) at the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin,^[29] Turkey.

2014

The season started strong for Parellis, who returned to his big throws. In March at the European Winter Throwing Cup in Leiria, Portugal, he took 6th position with 61.44m.^[30]
In May at the Matseia meeting at GSP stadium, Apostolos achieved his second best throw of his career^[31] by recording a mark of 63.89m.
A few days later, on June 7, during the Pancyprian Games, Parellis won gold with a throw of 63.71m., the third best^[32] of his career.
A third position^[33] (62.20m.) at the Memorial Josef Odlozila meeting in Prague, Czech Republic and a silver medal (61.80m.) at the 2014 European Cup Third League^[34] at Tbilisi, Georgia featured more good throws in the build up for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and the European Championships in Switzerland.
In Glasgow, Scotland, on August 31, Apostolos won silver medal^[35] at the Commonwealth Games with a throw of 63.32m, while a few days later with a best throw of 60.32m. the Cypriot athlete took 16th overall position^[36] in the 2014 European Championships in Zurich.

2015

After a 40-day training camp in South Africa and a two week preparation period in the town of Monte Gordo, Portugal, Apostolos kicked off the season in the 2015 European Winter Throwing Cup in Leiria, Portugal. Speaking to the Press before the event,^[37] Parellis set his target at 60 meters, since it was his first competitive event of the year, but eventually managed to throw 65.04m.,^[38] which gave him the 4th place in the competition and most importantly, a spot in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. The 65.04m. is Parellis' second best throw in his career.

National Record Progression

Since March 28, 2007, Apostolos Parellis set in eleven occasions a new National Record in discus.

2007
1. 57.81m. / March 28 / GSP stadium
2. 58.16m. / July 14 / Debrecen, Hungary

2009
3. 59.05m. / May 16 / GSP stadium
4. 60.55m. / June 4 / GSP stadium
5. 60.94m. / June 20 / Bystrica, Slovakia
6. 61.07m. / July 12 / Belgrade, Serbia

2010
7. 61.82m. / April 29 / GSP stadium
8. 61.92m. / July 16 / GSP stadium

2012
9. 62.49m. / March 6 / GSP stadium
10. 63.63m. / June 2 / Heraklion, Crete, Greece
11. 65.36m. / June 3 / Chania, Crete, Greece

Competition highlights

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Cyprus
2007	European U23 Championships	Debrecen, Hungary	3rd	58.16 m
	Universiade	Bangkok, Thailand	13th (q)	54.53 m
2009	Games of the Small States of Europe	Nicosia, Cyprus	1st	60.55 m
	Mediterranean Games	Pescara, Italy	7th	60.12 m
	Universiade	Belgrade, Serbia	6th	61.07 m
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	17th (q)	60.57 m
	Commonwealth Games	Delhi, India	4th	60.51 m
2011	Games of the Small States of Europe	Schaan, Liechtenstein	1st	59.73 m
	Universiade	Shenzhen, China	6th	61.44 m
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	14th (q)	61.79 m
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	13th (q)	63.48 m
2013	Games of the Small States of Europe	Luxembourg, Luxembourg	2nd	59.11 m
	Mediterranean Games	Mersin, Turkey	7th	59.40 m
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	19th (q)	59.84 m
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	2nd	63.32 m
	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	16th (q)	60.32 m

See also

• Gymnastic Association Pancypria
• Cypriot records in athletics

References

External links

• Apostolos Parellis profile at IAAF