Valerios Leonidis

Valerios Leonidis (Greek: Βαλέριος Λεωνίδης; born February 14, 1966) is a Greek former weightlifter and current weightlifting trainer. He has won one Olympic silver medal, two silver and one bronze World Championship medals.[1] He has competed in different weight classes from 60 kg to 69 kg. His rivalry with world-record holder Naim Süleymanoğlu in the men's 64 kg was a very popular part of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, in which he won the silver medal.

Valerios Leonidis

Personal information
Birth name	Valery Leonov
Nationality	Greek
Born	(1966-02-14) February 14, 1966 Yessentuki, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Sport
Country	Greece
Sport	Weightlifting
Medal record Men's weightlifting Representing  Greece Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta -64 kg World Championships 1994 Istanbul -64 kg 1995 Guangzhou -64 kg 1999 Athens -69 kg European Championships 1993 Sofia -64 kg 1994 Sokolov -64 kg 1995 Warsaw -64 kg 1996 Stavanger -64 kg 1999 A Coruña -69 kg Representing  Soviet Union USSR Weightlifting Championships 1986 Moscow -64 kg 1991 Donetsk -64 kg Summer Spartakiad of the USSR 1986 Moscow -64 kg 1991 Donetsk -64 kg

Leonidis was born in Yessentuki, Russia, to a Pontic Greek family. He was a member of the national weightlifting team of the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1990 and he moved to Greece in 1991.