Katerina Thanou: I will write a book about what happened that night!

Olympic medalist Katerina Thanou feels fully vindicated and satisfied after the acquittal by Greek justice for the sensational case involving the accident on the eve of the Athens Olympics in 2004.Wiser and with her head held up, she talks to protothema.gr about the seven hard years of her life, makes her self-criticism and gives tips to international sports agents.
 
- How do you feel after the court’s decision?

“I feel vindicated and calm, although I had to spend seven years and show great patience to manage to have that effect now . The first years were very difficult. It is very difficult to feel that you have not done something, at least not to the degree that you hear from all around you, and you keep your head low and just wait, and not speak at that particular moment, because even if you did nobody would listen. But unfortunately in this country people are tried long before they reach the court where, as in my case, they may find justice. All these years I did not speak, not because I was hiding but because I did not want to influence any decision of the court. When you have so much pressure on you and confidence in what has happened, you just wait for a fair trial, to get value for your word and your beliefs”.
 
- What were all these yearsm like? What bothered you mostly?

“All these years I was bothered by the attempted disorientation. In the beginning it was much more intense but as the years went by I saw that people really did not know much about sports and more generally, that many have tried to misinterpret this story, my name and my career in sports. The moral is what I have been taught by championship competition, never to lower my head, to endure, to believe with passion and to fight for what I believe in”.
 

- Despite all this, you decided to continue. Were you annoyed by the IOC decision to ban you from the Beijing Olympics?

“I decided to continue and the Games in Beijing were another blow which just came with the gold medal (from Marion Jones) that I have not been awarded yet and for which I expect the final decision. All of these events from 2004 to 2008, however, prove that I was an athlete with a great and powerful name in the global scene and this bothered some people. They were bothered by my consecutive successes and my many medals if you like, and somehow wanted to take me out”.
 
- So you think that the IOC behavior toward you was biased?  

“It certainly wasn’t impartial”.

- What was your lesson from this case?

“I came out wiser, that’s certain. Besides, the more experience one has the better for them, especially at a young age. And for my age I have been through a lot and have felt many strong and intense feelings of joy, sadness and excellence on the podium. Surely all these are experiences that make you wiser and stronger, and prepare you for the next obstacle in your life”.
 
- Did you embark on any self-criticism?

“Yes. I believe I was a great athlete whose country could not bear the weight; with whatever this entails. As for my story of what took place that evening, you will soon know about it from the book I am about write. It's something I have in my mind to do. I am close to sports and I will remain there. I'm just not an active athlete”.