Open main menu

Niki Xanthou

Niki Xanthou is a Greek athlete who competes in the long jump.

Xanthou was born on October 11, 1973 in Rhodes. She competes for Gymnastic Athletic Club Ygeia of Rhodes.

Xanthou came into prominence when, on May 22, 1994, she first broke the Greek long jump record with 6.67m. The old one of 6.64m by Maroula Lambrou had stood since 1979.

On June 8, 1996, Xanthou broke the 7m barrier with a 7.01m leap again setting a new Greek record. The following year on August 18, she improved upon it with 7.03m.

In international competition, Xanthou's best achievement was winning the silver medal in the World Championships of 1997 in Athens. She barely missed a bronze medal in the 1996 Olympic Games of Atlanta placing 4th but has not qualified for the finals of any subsequent Olympiad.

Xanthou also counts gold medals in the Mediterranean Games of 1997 and the European Indoor Championships of 2002 among her achievemanets.