George (George) Pomaski celebrated 50 years of contributions to world athletics this year. If he had not connected his life with athletics, perhaps he would have become a conductor. In addition, the way the athletes work reminds him of… a well-coordinated orchestra. At the recent World Championships, two of his “children” climbed the podium. Miltos Tedoglu with a silver medal on his chest in 8.32m and the American with bronze in the triple jump in 14.72m.

Their joy was his. After all, as the 62-year-old footballer tells K, he is in the training room behind the dreams of these children, and this generation will put an end to titles in a career full of distinctions.

Tranquility and harmony reign in the OAKA athletics gym. Athletes from the Pomaski team train and resemble orchestra musicians, testing instruments before a concert. Except that in the case of tools, they have their own bodies. Next to them, like a conductor, stands Pomaski, who, it seems, even has eyes in the back, so that he is ready to correct, if necessary, some … false note.

“With the Miltos gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, I experienced the best moment of my life.”

It’s been 34 years since Georgy “thrown away” his sports shoes, left Sandovets for Bulgaria and became the George of Greek athletics. “I have been involved in athletics since I was 12 years old. I went to a sports school full of fields. He had three in athletics alone. From the age of 16 I focused on triple jumps. At the age of 28, I was not selected for the third time to participate in the Olympic Games. On the same day, I threw in the “nails” and a week later I was in Greece.”

The motive for choosing the Pomaski of Greece was his wife Evita, whom he met while she was studying in his country. Thanks to Evita, Greek athletics found a well-deserved coach. There are dozens of medals in his collection. From Greek, Bulgarian, American, Serbian athletes and female athletes… “I don’t know how many medals there are. I didn’t count them and don’t want them,” he says with a laugh, and when we ask him to say which one stands out, the answer comes without hesitation: “Milthus’s gold medal. At the Tokyo Olympics, I experienced the best moment of my life. With this medal, I made my coaching dreams come true. Now I’m working on the dreams of my athletes. I am no longer taking new children. With the generation of Tendoglu and Karidis, I will end my career. I devalued my own goals and dreams. I don’t do them.”

The whole life of Giorgos Pomaska ​​is connected with athletics. Even when he goes to a restaurant, the menu will be classic, sporty. “I have never done anything else. I didn’t hammer in a single nail. I am a coach 24 hours a day. I am always at the disposal of the athlete, but I also need the athlete himself. I want the athlete to be thirsty. To have dreams and chase them. When I see an athlete with a thirst, I will be with him for life.”

George Pomaski’s team includes Miltos Tedoglu, Spiridula Karidis, Tory Franklin (USA) and Ivanov Tikhomir (Bulgaria). “With Tory, America won the triple jump medal for the first time. Now we are preparing for the European Championship and the Diamond League. With this generation, I will end my career. I have already started working on this in myself. With Tedoglu and Karidis, I will close the head of the coach.”

Xanthus, Tsiamitas and Patoulida…

Giorgi Pomaski was one of the best triple jumpers of his generation in Bulgaria. With a personal best of 17.03 m, he was a member of the national team, the silver medalist of the Balkans, but at that time competed with the “star” of the “gold” Olympic champion Hristo Markov. He came to Greece in 1988 and started collecting awards as a coach. Great athletes and women of Greek athletics, such as Voula Patoulidou, Niki Xantou, Voula Tsiamita, Olga Vasdekis, Spyros Vasdekis, Luis Tsatoumas, Lambros Papakostas, Voula Papachristou and, of course, Miltos Tedoglu and others, have gone through baguette training. he left athletics for a while and became a football coach and headed Olympiacos. The Red-Whites won the double, but hard training made some players unhappy. He has a reputation as a coach who pursues perfection, but that’s the only way success comes. “I want my culture to match that of an athlete. We have played with many children and they have been successful,” he tells us, and when we ask him what his favorite sports team is, he replies without hesitation: “With Patoulidou, Xantou and Tsiamitas. An era I never wanted to end.”