Konstantinos Kenteris

By Belinda Luscombe

Will the Athens games be marked by a sudden ascendancy in Greek athletics? Olympic officials were so unprepared for Konstantinos Kenteris' victory in the 200-m run that they had made no arrangements for a translator for interviews. Kenteris' coach had to step in.

Not that the officials can be blamed. The last time a Greek man won gold in a running event was in the marathon at the very first modern Games in 1896. To find another great Greek sprinter, one probably has to go back to Hermes. Kenteris' gold was Greece's fourth of the Games, including one claimed by national hero Pyrros Dimas, who won in weight lifting (85 kg) for the third consecutive Games.

Kenteris sped past Ato Boldon and Darren Campbell in the last 40 m, yet the only person who seemed unsurprised by his win was the victor. "I felt I could do something more. That is what I tried in the final," he said. The absence of Maurice Greene and Michael Johnson won't take the shine off his new piece of jewelry, either. "As you know, there was a tragedy in Greece recently [a shipwreck that killed more than 50 people], and this will help relieve some of the pain people are feeling."

--By Belinda Luscombe