Anna Korakaki addressed the issue that arose with her eyes:
“After giving my mind and body the time they needed, and now with a clearer head and a sense of calm, I can reflect on this year, whose biggest goal was, of course, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At 28, I had the blessing and honor of representing my country in the Olympics for the third consecutive time.”
“In 2016, I won two dreamlike and historic medals, and in 2021, I reached two finals and finished sixth twice, despite the well-known challenges that marked my Olympic journey in Tokyo. I had set my heart on getting back on the podium in Paris. Although the last two years have been amazing, culminating in 2023 when I achieved the Triple Crown, the season after the start of 2024 was, in one word, catastrophic.”
“There were many setbacks, misfortunes, poor timing, and bad luck, but amidst it all, there were also many mistakes on our part. We never completely blame poor performances on ‘bad luck.’ As professionals (coaches and athletes), we bear a large share of the responsibility for how we handle tough situations, and we accept our portion of the blame. We acknowledge and admit our mistakes, and most importantly, we learn from them. However, in recent months, we faced situations we had never encountered in our long journey. What was particularly confusing was that it didn’t seem like I was doing anything wrong.”
“That was until we discovered that there was an issue with my eyes, which, on the one hand, finally ‘explained’ what had previously been unexplainable and what we had been struggling to identify, but on the other hand, continued to cause immense insecurity and problematic conditions. This issue was beyond my control and, unfortunately, it was too late to correct.”
“Once again, what keeps me going and gives me strength to move forward are all the people who have been by my side, both before and after. For this Olympic cycle, I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the messages of support and love, my family and loved ones, the specialists who helped me, and the Hellenic Olympic Committee,” Anna Korakaki concluded in her lengthy social media post.
