View source for Periklis Iakovakis

{{Short description|Greek hurdler (born 1979)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| image= Iakovakis-Tsiklitiria2007.jpg
| image_size=200px
| caption= 
| birth_date= {{birth date and age|1979|3|24}}
| birth_place= 
| height={{height|m=1.83}}
| weight={{cvt|77|kg}}
| country= {{GRE}}
| sport =Athletics
| event=[[400 metres hurdles|400 m Hurdles]]
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]]|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 400 metres hurdles|400 m hurdles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2006 European Athletics Championships|2006 Göteborg]]|[[2006 European Athletics Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|400 m hurdles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Mediterranean Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Athletics at the 2001 Mediterranean Games|2001 Tunis]] |400 m hurdles}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Athletics at the 2013 Mediterranean Games|2013 Mersin]] |4 × 400 m relay}}
}}

'''Periklís Iakovákis''' ({{langx|el|Περικλής Ιακωβάκης}}, {{IPA|el|periˈklis iakoˈvacis|}}, born 24 March 1979 in [[Patras]]) is a retired [[Greece|Greek]] athlete mainly competing in [[400 metres hurdles]]. He is the [[Greek records in athletics|Greek record]] holder with a time of 47.82 seconds and fifteen times national champion in the event.

He has competed at four [[Summer Olympics]] (2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012) and is a six-time participant at the [[World Championships in Athletics]]. He was the world bronze medalist in 2003 and the [[European Athletics Championships|European champion]] in 2006. His first major win came at the [[1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics|1998 World Junior Championships]] and he won the gold medal at the [[Athletics at the 2001 Mediterranean Games|2001 Mediterranean Games]]. He was named the 2003 and 2006 [[Greek Male Athlete of the Year]].

==Career==
In 1998 Iakovakis won the gold medal at the [[1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]] in Annecy, France with 49.82 seconds, and five years later he won the bronze medal at the [[2003 World Championships in Athletics]] in Paris-Saint-Denis, France. In the final at the [[Stade de France]], he finished in 48.24 seconds after [[Félix Sánchez (hurdler)|Félix Sánchez]] and [[Joey Woody]].

Iakovakis achieved his personal best of 47.82 seconds on 6 May 2006 in Osaka during the IAAF World Athletics Tour and won his first major competition 3 months later. He became [[2006 European Championships in Athletics|European Champion]] in Gothenborg, Sweden finishing at 48.46 seconds in the final.

After his win at the European Championships, Iakovakis won the full-lap hurdles event in 47.92 seconds at the [[Zurich Weltklasse]] [[IAAF Golden League|Golden League]] meet at the last evening that this top meeting would be held at the [[Letzigrund]]. The reigning European Champion was then first at the Herculis IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Monaco.

He won the bronze medal at the [[2009 IAAF World Athletics Final]], which was the last edition of the competition and was held in [[Thessaloniki]].

In 2010 he set a season target of defending his European title. He suffered a minor injury to his [[soleus muscle]] in March, but recovered and began his preparation in [[South Africa]] and Cyprus. He identified [[Dai Greene]] (the eventual winner) as his main European rival in the event. Finally he did not succeed in his goal, as he finished in the fifth place in the [[2010 European Athletics Championships|2010 European final]], having run in the tight first lane.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.european-athletics.org/20th-european-athletics-championships-2010/there-is-only-one-objective-this-year-defend-my-title-in-barcelona-says-greek-hurdler-iakovakis.html|title="There is only one objective this year - defend my title in Barcelona", says Greek hurdler Iakovakis|work=[[European Athletic Association]]|date=13 May 2010|access-date=8 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403015727/http://www.european-athletics.org/20th-european-athletics-championships-2010/there-is-only-one-objective-this-year-defend-my-title-in-barcelona-says-greek-hurdler-iakovakis.html|archive-date=3 April 2012}}</ref> He was slower in the 2011 season and, for the first time since 1998, his fastest run that year was over 50 seconds. He missed a seventh consecutive appearance at the World Championships, but did compete for Greece in the First League of the [[2011 European Team Championships]], where he won the 400&nbsp;m hurdles race. He marked a resurgence in form at the 2012 Greek Championships by winning his 15th straight national title, including a run of 49.04 seconds in the heats.<ref>Georgiotis, Vasileios (2012-06-17). [http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/OLY12/News/NewsDetail.aspx?id=65353 ]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2012-06-24.</ref>

Maria Sotirakopoulou has been his coach for many years.

==Honours==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{GRE}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
|rowspan=2|[[1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Sydney]], [[Australia]]
|34th (h)
|400 m
|[[1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres|47.98]]
|-
| —
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|DNF]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1997
|rowspan=2|[[1997 European Athletics Junior Championships|European Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Ljubljana]], [[Slovenia]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|400 m
|46.68
|-
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|4 × 400 relay
|3:08.29
|-
|rowspan=3|1998
|rowspan=2|[[1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Annecy]], [[France]]
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|400 m hurdles
|[[1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.82]]
|-
|7th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:09.70]]
|-
|[[1998 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Budapest, Hungary]]
|9th (sf)
|4 × 400 metres relay
|[[1998 European Athletics Championships – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:06.48]] SB
|-
|rowspan=5|1999
|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Maebashi]], [[Japan]]
|15th (sf)
|400 m
|47.23
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1999 European Athletics U23 Championships|European U23 Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd
|400 m hurdles
|[[1999 European Athletics U23 Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.97]]
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1999 European Athletics U23 Championships – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:06.81]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Seville]], [[Spain]]
|17th (h)
|400 m hurdles
|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.53]]
|-
|15th (h)
|4 × 400 metres relay
|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:04.07]] NR
|-
|rowspan=2|2000
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Sydney]], [[Australia]]
|25th (h)
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre hurdles|400 m hurdles]]
|50.20
|-
|18th (h)
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 metres relay]]
|3:06.50
|-
|rowspan=4|2001
|rowspan=2|[[2001 European Athletics U23 Championships|European U23 Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|400 m hurdles
|[[2001 European Athletics U23 Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.63]]
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[2001 European Athletics U23 Championships – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:08.30]]
|-
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Edmonton]], [[Canada]]
|14th (sf)
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|400 m hurdles]]
|49.38
|-
|[[2001 Mediterranean Games|Mediterranean Games]]
|[[Tunis]], [[Tunisia]]
|bgcolor="gold"| 1st
|400 m hurdles
|50.21
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
|rowspan=2|[[2002 European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Munich]], [[Germany]]
|5th
|400 m hurdles
|49.07
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 metres relay
|3:04.26
|-
|rowspan=4|2003
|[[2003 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|[[Florence]], [[Italy]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|400 m hurdles
|49.23
|-
|rowspan=2|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Paris]], [[France]]
|bgcolor="cc9966" |3rd
|400 m hurdles
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|48.24]]
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 metres relay
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:02.56]]
|-
|[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final|IAAF World Athletics Final]]
|[[Monte Carlo]], [[Monaco]]
|6th
|400 m hurdles
|49.25
|-
|rowspan=2|2004
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Athens]], [[Greece]]
|11th (sf)
|400 m hurdles
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre hurdles|48.47]] SB
|-
|12th (sf)
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metre relay|4 × 400 metres relay]]
|3:04.27
|-
|2005
|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]
|13th (sf)
|[[2005 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|400 m hurdles]]
|49.28
|-
|rowspan=2|2006
|[[2006 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]]
|bgcolor="gold"|1st
|400 m hurdles
|[[2006 European Athletics Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|48.46]]
|-
|[[2006 IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]
|[[Stuttgart]], [[Germany]]
|bgcolor="gold"| 1st
|400 m hurdles
|47.92
|-
|rowspan=2|2007
|[[2007 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|[[Munich]], [[Germany]]
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|400 m hurdles
|48.35
|-
|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Osaka]], [[Japan]]
|6th
|400 m hurdles
|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.25]]
|-
|rowspan=2|2008
|[[2008 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|[[Annecy]], [[France]]
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|400 m hurdles
|49.15
|-
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Beijing]], [[China]]
|8th
|400 m hurdles
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre hurdles|49.96]]
|-
|rowspan=3|2009
|[[2009 European Team Championships|European Team Championships]]
|[[Leiria]], [[Portugal]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|400 m hurdles
|50.09
|-
|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Berlin]], [[Germany]]
|5th
|400 m hurdles
|[[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|48.42]] SB
|-
|[[2009 IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]
|[[Thessaloniki]], [[Greece]]
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|400 m hurdles
|48.90
|-
|2010
|[[2010 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]
|5th
|400 m hurdles
|[[2010 European Athletics Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|49.38]] SB
|-
|rowspan=2|2012
|[[2012 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]
|8th
|400 m hurdles
|[[2012 European Athletics Championships – Men's 400 metres hurdles|50.57]]
|-
|[[2012 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[London, United Kingdom]]
|32nd (h)
|400 m hurdles
|[[Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|50.27]]
|-
|2013
|[[2013 Mediterranean Games|Mediterranean Games]]
|[[Mersin]], [[Turkey]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"| 3rd
|4 × 400 metres relay
|[[Athletics at the 2013 Mediterranean Games|3:07.36]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}

{{Footer European Champions 400 m hurdles Men}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 400m Hurdles Men}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 4x400m Men}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's 400 metres hurdles}}
{{PSAT Greek Male Athlete of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iakovakis, Periklis}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from Patras]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Trikala]]
[[Category:Greek male hurdlers]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Greece]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Greece]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Greece]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2013 Mediterranean Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Greece]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Greek European Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Greek male sprinters]]
[[Category:Greek Athletics Championships winners]]