Becoming a successful sportsman requires dedication, humbleness and hard work. Are you a good candidate? World Urban Games’ (WUG) award-winning parkour athlete, Dimitris Kyrsanidis answered some of our related questions after the competition.
How would you describe what you do?
Athletic, professional, movement, way of life, talent, hard work, skills. I think I could keep going forever, to be honest. Love what you do, no matter what it is, cause if you don’t it’s gonna end sooner or later.
What’s your motivation? What would you like to achieve?
My motivation? I would say, movement itself, the people around me, the people I love, everything can be motivation for me. However most of all, it’s God. I would like to achieve virtuousness in life.
Being a parkour athlete seems pretty dangerous. Is there a place where you can safely practice?
Hmm, dangerous as a word is pretty subjective, different for anyone. In parkour it’s just me against the obstacle that I want to overcome, however in all other mainstream sports you have to face people, like in football or basketball. They can hurt you anytime accidentally or on purpose, that’s the dangerous part for me. But I still love playing these sports as well no matter what. I do have a gym in my city, Thessaloniki, where I can practice my flips in a safe environment now thanks to Mr. Vasilis Tsolakidis, took me 10 years to be able to properly train in a gym, but better late than never, right? I did have a few injuries but nothing really really serious.
Who is your role model?
God, my family, my friends, my girl.
Which trick took you the longest to learn?
Bar tricks in general are my soft spot, however thanks to Adidas, this is gonna change in the next few weeks. (Can’t tell you any details now, sorry 😉)
Did you plan ahead before the WUG, or did you improvise in Budapest?
Improvisation is cool, but here we are talking about the World Urban Games! One mistake and you are out. I came prepared. I know my limits, I know my strengths and week points. I will do my best to make everyone around me happy and proud!
What’s your advice for those who want to do what you do?
Always be yourself, be hungry for success, be strong, be an athlete, don’t skip the workout, find someone to love and be loved (if possible). Remember that every single human out there has his/her positives and negatives. Keep the positives and make yourself a better person.
Find out more about Dimitris, click here!
