ORIGINAL INTERVIEWS
For Giannis, judo is not simply a sport, it is an obsession. “If I don’t train at least two or three hours a day, I can’t even sleep,” he explains. His life revolves entirely around the tatami, where repetition, discipline, and mental resilience shape his identity. While many of his peers in Cyprus pursue studies, social lives, or early careers, Giannis has committed to the rhythm of training and competing. For him, there is no halfway: either he gives himself fully to judo, or he risks losing the fragile edge that keeps him among the world’s best.
At 25, Miquel Travé has already stood on European podiums, raced an Olympic finals, and carved out a name in the unpredictable world of canoe slalom. Yet when you sit down with him, it’s not medals that come first. It’s gratitude, finding the flow state of mind, desire to keep learning and the little things that make up his life in La Seu d’Urgell, the town in Catalonia, that’s so dear to his heart.
In a world where attention is captured by 30-second AI images and endless prompts, James Cook is an artist who types his drawings on a vintage typewriter. He transforms each keystroke into meticulously detailed portraits, cityscapes, and architectural landmarks. What might seem like a novelty at first glance is actually a precise, disciplined craft that reflects years of training and hard work.
Sailing has been in the life of the Olympic sailor, Line Flem Høst, quite literally from the very beginning: her parents spent their maternity leave on an old wooden sailboat in the Mediterranean.
When you first see Andreas Doulappas, the disability is visible — a missing right hand, hard not to notice. But the moment you speak to him, or even just glance at the facts of his life, the story shifts. There’s no trace of limitation.
This isn’t a story about obsession. It’s not about sacrifice, burnout, or all-or-nothing thinking. It’s about something quieter, steadier, and perhaps even more powerful.
This was the first thing Alexander Tofalides felt when he secured his place at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Not celebration, not disbelief, but a quiet knowing. For him, qualifying wasn’t just a personal victory.
“I left the chlorine behind, but not the water.” That’s how Maria Papadopoulou sums up a life that never really stepped away from movement. She’s been an Olympian. She’s built a sports department from scratch. She’s the founder of a swimwear brand.
A father of four, former elite orienteer, and a triathlete with multiple wins in world-class championships, Ilya is also the founder of RunLab — an international chain of gait-analysis running stores.
Coastal rowing isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s fast, physical, and unpredictable. You don’t glide — you fight. Waves hit without warning. Boats turn sideways.
Every finish line is a beginning for Andreas Djiakouris. Firefighter, endurance athlete, and unstoppable force, he lives an ultramarathon athlete journey built on resilience and purpose.
For Evgenii Tiapkin, Executive Director of Freedom24, balance doesn’t mean slowing down. It means channeling everything into movement — with intention.
Yana Lapikova’s journey into the world of wakesurfing is a masterclass in ambition, movement, and the pursuit of a high-performance lifestyle.
What if the limits we believe in aren’t real? What if the boundaries between professional, athletic, and personal success can be blurred, or even erased, through sheer will?
In a world spinning ever faster, few people manage to ride both the literal and metaphorical hills with such energy and honesty as George Kouzis.
Coastal rowing isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s fast, physical, and unpredictable. You don’t glide — you fight. Waves hit without warning. Boats turn sideways.