Ekaterini ("Katerina") Thanou (Greek: Αικατερίνη (Κατερίνα) Θάνου, [ekateˈrini ˈθanu], born 1 February 1975) is a Greek sprinter.

Thanou won the silver medal in the women's 100 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Although Marion Jones admitted to steroid use prior to and during the Sydney Olympics and had her gold medal withdrawn by the International Olympic Committee, Thanou's silver medal was not upgraded to gold because of her own controversial past. Thanou was tried in 2009 for making false statements to police, to avoid a doping test, on the eve of the 2004 Athens Olympics.[1]

In 2002 she won the 100 m gold medal at the European Championships in Munich.

Medal record
Women's athletics
Olympic Games
Silver	2000 Sydney	100 m
World Championships
Silver	2001 Edmonton	100 m
Bronze	1999 Sevilla	100 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold	1999 Maebashi	60 m
European Championships
Gold	2002 Munich	100 m
Bronze	1998 Budapest	100 m
European Indoor Championships
Gold	1996 Stockholm	60 m
Gold	2000 Ghent	60 m
Mediterranean Games
Gold	1997 Bari	100 m
Silver	1997 Bari	4 x 100 m relay

Suspension

For the 2004 Summer Olympics, Thanou was one of the main hopes of the home crowd for winning an athletics medal. However, on the day prior to the opening ceremony, Thanou and her training partner Konstantinos Kenteris failed to attend a drugs test, and later the same night were hospitalised, claiming they had both been injured in a motorcycle accident. In the ensuing doping scandal, Kenteris and Thanou announced their withdrawal from the Games on 18 August after a hearing before the Disciplinary Commission of the IOC, for what they described to be "in the interests of the country." An official Greek investigation into their alleged accident ruled that it had been staged and the pair were criminally charged with making false statements to authorities. The charges are still pending.[1]

The missed test in Athens was the duo's third violation of the summer and they were consequently provisionally suspended by the IAAF on 22 December 2004. In June 2005, however, the athletes were cleared of all charges by the Greek athletics federation. Their coach Christos Tsekos was blamed for the missed tests and suspended for four years, but was cleared on separate allegations of distributing banned substances. After a long legal battle, on 26 June 2006 prior to a final ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the athletes reached an out of court settlement with the IAAF accepting anti-doping rule violations of 3 missed tests between 27 July and 12 August 2004 (in breach of Rule 32.2(d)) and a failure to provide a urine and a blood sample on 12 August 2004 (in breach of Rule 32.2(c)). In return, the more serious charges against them, those of evasion and refusal to provide a sample, were dropped.[2] They have been eligible to compete since 22 December 2006.

Return from suspension

On her return to international competition at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, she was booed by the crowds before finishing sixth in the final.

Following the revelations about Marion Jones's use of steroids, Thanou, who finished 2nd behind Jones in the 100 m at Sydney 2000, was in line to be awarded the American's gold medal, but due to Thanou's own tainted record the IOC, after two years of deliberation, opted to punish Jones without rewarding Thanou. Jones' gold medal was withdrawn but was withheld by the IOC, Thanou remaining a silver medallist.

Thanou was provisionally selected by the Hellenic Olympic Committee to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. However, as she had not achieved the Olympic 'A' standard (11.32 seconds), if another Greek woman had achieved this, she would have been forced off of the team.[3]

However, all of this became moot on 9 August 2008, when the executive board of the IOC decided to bar Thanou from competing under rule 23.2.1 of the Olympic charter. This rule allows the banning of athletes who are thought to be guilty of improper conduct or bringing the games into disrepute. Thanou claimed that she faced "intense pressure" to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics, four years after being involved in a major doping controversy at the Athens Games.[4] The decision may lead to a messy legal battle. Thanou, who qualified for the Beijing Games, had threatened to sue Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, if she was denied permission to participate.

Personal bests

Event	Time	Venue	Date
60 metres	6.96	Maebashi, Japan	7 March 1999
100 metres	10.83	Seville, Spain	22 August 1999

Achievements

Year	Tournament	Venue	Result	Event
1995	World University Games	Fukuoka, Japan	2nd	100 m
1997	World University Games	Sicily, Italy	1st	100 m
1998	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	100 m
1998	European Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	4th	60 m
1999	IAAF World Indoor Championships	Maebashi, Japan	1st	60 m
1999	IAAF World Championships	Sevilla, Spain	3rd	100 m
2000	European Indoor Championships	Ghent, Belgium	1st	60 m
2000	2000 Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	2nd	100 m
2001	IAAF World Championships	Edmonton, Alberta	2nd	100 m
2002	European Championships	Munich, Germany	1st	100 m
2003	IAAF World Championships	Paris, France	4th	100 m
2004	Greece National Championships	Greece	1st	100 m
2007	European Indoor Championships	Birmingham, Great Britain	6th	60 m

References

1. ^ a b Associated Press (February 5, 2009). "Trial for Greek sprinters postponed". USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-02-05-2738434532_x.htm. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
2. ^ "Sprint duo drop drugs ban appeals". BBC Sport. 2006-06-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/5118074.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
3. ^ "Greece name Thanou for Olympics". BBC Sport. July 15, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7507421.stm.
4. ^ Agence France-Presse (2 August 2008). "Thanou feels pressure to withdraw". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/athletics/thanou-feels-pressure-to-withdraw/2008/08/02/1217097586160.html.