The surname Petmezas refers to the heroic pages of Greek history. On pages written before and during the revolution of 1821, in the battles at Kalavryta, at Corinth, at Almiros in Messinia. But in a family of 36 fighters – chieftains also have one Olympic championAristovoulos Petmezas, who in 1896O in monozygo.
Aristovoulos Petmezas was born in 1845 and showed an interest in sports from an early age, especially athletics and gymnastics. A descendant of the 1821 chieftains and son of politician Leonidas Petmeza came of age at a time when the flames of Olympic revival were slowly starting to flare up. His studies in law school and his social associations solidified his love of the sport, and according to sources he was a member of the Panah Association from at least the early 1890s.
Greek Olympians of 1896 on an excursion to Daphne with Crown Prince Konstantinos.
His body type (short) was ideal for gymnastics. On March 16 and 17, 1893, he took part in competitions held at the public gymnasium located in the center of Patras, and won first place in gymnastics, and also won first place in the long jump. He also won first place in the athletics competition in the Panahaikos test matches that took place in 1895, and in 1896 in his club’s domestic matches he had 2O lifting weights with two hands.
However, the highest distinction of a descendant of the historical family of Petmezaev or Petimezaev was the victory of third place in single weight at the 1896 Olympics. The athlete from Panahaikos competed according to the program on March 28, 1896, and in addition to the single weight, he also took part in the “equestrian springboard” but did not excel in this. There were 21 athletes in singles.
Games program 28her March 1896 from the newspaper of the time “Asti”
Aristovoulos Petmezas entered the political arena after the death of his father during the electoral round and was elected member of parliament for Kalavriton. His first elections were in 1908, followed by elections in 1910, 1912 and 1915 as an MP for Achaia and Ilidos.
The photographs are taken from the Petmez family book and the photo archive of the Benaki Museum.
Sources:
Hellenic Parliament, Register of Plenipotentiaries, Senators and Members of Parliament
The Petmez family: its multiple imprints over time, Historical Research, Statis Koutruvidis, Research and Archival Collection Antonis Gk. Petmesas, Melissa, Athens, 2021
Nikos E. Politis, Sports of Patras, Achaic Publications, Patras, 1997
Source: Kathimerini
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