Georgios Achilleos

Georgios Achilleos was born on December 24, 1980, in London, United Kingdom, with his parents originating from Paphos, Cyprus. He began competing in Skeet shooting at a young age, marking his international debut at the 1997 European Championships in Sipoo, Finland, where he placed ninth. His first significant medal, a silver, was earned at the 1998 European Championships held in Nicosia, Cyprus. Achilleos continued his early career by competing in the 1998 World Championship in Barcelona, Spain, achieving a tenth-place finish.

The year 1999 proved to be a breakthrough for Achilleos. He secured a gold medal in the Junior’s event at the 1999 World Championship in Tampere, Finland. In 2000, he equaled the Junior World Record at the Lonato World Cup with a score of 123+24, earning a bronze medal and automatically qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics at 19 years old. Over his career, Achilleos has participated in five Olympic Games, including Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Tokyo 2021. He served as the national flag bearer for Cyprus at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, demonstrating his prominence in Cypriot sports.

Achilleos has a distinguished record as a four-time Skeet Shooting medalist in World Championships and a multiple World Cup winner. He achieved his highest Olympic placement of fifth at the Beijing 2008 Games. Notably, Achilleos holds the distinction of being the first Cypriot athlete to set a World Record in an Olympic sport, having equaled the qualification World Record in Skeet Men with 125 in 2015. His extensive career includes numerous medals across World Championships, World Cups, European Championships, Commonwealth Games, Mediterranean Games, and European Games, solidifying his status as one of Cyprus’s most decorated athletes.