Dimitrios Loundras (Greek: Δημήτριος Λούνδρας; 6 September 1885[a] – 15 February 1970) was a Greek gymnast and naval officer who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was the last surviving participant of these Games.[1]
Loundras competed in the team parallel bars event. In that competition, Loundras was a member of the Ethnikos Gymnastikos Syllogos team that placed third of the three teams in the event, giving him a bronze medal. At 10 years 218 days, he remains the youngest medalist and competitor in Olympic history,[2][3] if one discounts an unknown competitor of disputed age who competed as coxswain for the Dutch coxed pair rowing team in the 1900 Olympics.[4]
Loundras later became an officer in the Royal Hellenic Navy, graduating from the Hellenic Navy Academy as an ensign in 1905. He served in various commands as well as a naval attache, and fought in World War I, before retiring with the rank of rear admiral in 1935. On the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in 1940, he was recalled to active service and appointed head of the Aegean Naval Command. He finally retired in 1945 as a vice admiral.[2]
^Greece officially adopted the Gregorian calendar on 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, are Old Style.
^ abc"Λούνδρας Δημήτριος". Hellenic Olympians Association (in Greek). 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
