Hellenic Weightlifting Federation
He was born in Avlona Albania on January 13, 1973, he is 1.60m tall, and he belongs to the Spartakos Club in Ioannina. He is an Officer in the Greek Army and a high school graduate. He came to Greece in January 1991 and his hobbies are music and the cinema. He is married to Argiro and they have a daughter, Sofia (2002). He won 3 silver medals in the World Championships in Athens in 1999 and two years later he won 2 silver medals and a bronze one in the same meeting in Attalia. Overall, he has 8 silver medals and 5 bronze ones in his World Championships collection, and 3 silver and 4 bronze ones in European Championships. He was the 4th Olympic Champion in Atlanta in 1996.