Rafailia Spanoudaki, a Greek sprinter, participated in the 60m event at both the 2018 and 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships, as well as the 100m and 200m events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Born on June 7, 1994, in Rhodes, Greece, Rafailia Spanoudaki-Hatziriga developed an interest in sports from a young age and honed her athletic abilities during high school.
Her professional athletic career began in 2015 with a notable second-place finish at the local Kalamata Papaflessia meeting in the 100m event. The following year, she achieved victory at the Athina Indoor meeting in the 60m event and the Athina Outdoor meeting in the 100m event. Additionally, she secured a win in the Larisa Greek U23 Championships in the 100m event.
In 2017, Rafailia Spanoudaki emerged victorious in the 100m event at the Chania Venizelia and secured a second-place finish at the Reims Indoor Meeting National in the 60m event.
Rafailia Spanoudaki’s major accolade came in 2018 at the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, Spain, where she finished 2nd in the 100m event. That same season, she also participated in the European Championships and World Indoor Championships, achieving moderate success. She triumphed with the gold in the 4x100m relay at the Vari Dromia 2018 during the same season.
In 2019, Rafailia Spanoudaki secured a second-place finish at the Filothei Women Gala 2019 in the 100m event and a third-place finish at the European Games in Minsk, Belarus. She also achieved a 5th place at the European Athletics Team Championships in the 200m event. Her participation in the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, and the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, did not lead to qualification for the finals.
Rafailia Spanoudaki qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the 100m and 200m events but did not advance to the final in either discipline. In 2012, she achieved third place at the Balkan Championships in the 100m. During the same year, she competed in the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, but finished 11th.
In 2022, she secured second place at the Balkan Championships in the 100m and emerged victorious in the 4x100m relays at the same event. Throughout the season, she participated in the European Championships in Munich, Germany, and the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Locally, she triumphed with the 60m gold at the Piraeus Greek Indoor Championships.
Rafailia Spanoudaki continued with her excellent performance in 2023, starting the season by 60m silver at the Piraeus Greek Indoor Championships and competing at the Istanbul European Athletics Indoor Championships, where did not overcome the heats. During the outdoor season, she won the silver at the Volos Greek Championships in 4x100m relay and 200m individual.
In 2024, Rafailia Spanoudaki won the 100m and 200m gold medals at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix but also finished 5th at the XIX Reunion Internacional Villa de Bilbao in 200m. n 4x100m relay, she won the gold at the Izmir Balkan Championships and competed in Roma European Athletics Championships, but did not overcome the heats.
Rafailia Spanoudaki is a young and talented athlete. She has shown remarkable progress in her career, and her dedication to her sport is truly commendable.
Rafailia Spanoudaki photos
