Kafourou brings Greek flavor to track team

The 2007 Boise State track team features many international faces, including several Greek jumpers. One of these jumpers, sophomore Elena Kafourou, has been leaving her mark on BSU track since last season when she won both the Indoor and Outdoor Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year awards.

Kafourou was born on an island in Greece where she lived until she was nine-years old. After moving to Pireas, Greece, Kafourou has been blowing away the competition in her homeland since her youth. She has won the long jump in the Greek championships for athletes under 23-years old for four consecutive years. She holds the record distance for juniors and youth. She just added the triple jump to her list of events about a year ago, but still managed a second place finish in that event last year.

As much talent as she has exhibited in jumping, she said that it wasn’t really something she consciously chose to do originally.

“I started jumping when I was little,” Kafourou said. “Because I was tall, they just put me in it. So I didn’t really have a choice. But I grew to like it because it’s become my life. There’s a lot of passion in it.”

When jumping first brought her to the United States for college she had the intent of coming over with her coach and jumping for the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She went to school there until October of her freshman year but she never competed for them because she got an offer to jump for Boise State instead. Her time here in Boise began in January of last year.

In the short time that Kafourou has been here she’s noticed a lot of differences between her homeland and Boise.

“People here are different,” Kafourou said. “They talk to you a lot easier and they’re more friendly. They also point things out more when you look good or you do something well. The weather’s a little colder,” Kafourou added with a laugh. “People here are also more into sports than they are in Greece.”

Boise State track fans had a lot to be excited about when it came to Kafourou’s performance last year for the Broncos. She won the triple jump title at the WAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships and competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the triple jump.

She also had a good showing in the long jump. She placed third in the WAC Indoor Championship and second in the WAC Outdoor Championship. Despite all of the early success, however, she feels that she could have done better.

“Most people thought that I was successful,” Kafourou said. “I thought it was okay for my freshman year, but I thought I could have done better with nationals.

I could have advanced to the NCAA Championships for the long jump and I could have advanced to the finals in the championship for the triple jump. I could say it was a successful year, but I could have done better.”

Her hopes for this season reflect those “could haves.”

“First of all, I want to make it to nationals for indoors,” Kafourou said. “If it’s possible, I want to make it for both events. I hope for the best there. For the outdoor season, my goal is to get to regionals and advance to nationals. I also want to do well in the European Under 23 Championships with the Greek national team this summer.”

Kafourou will be back in competition Friday and Saturday at Boise State’s second indoor track meet of the year, the Bronco Invitational in Nampa. 

MICHELLE MILLIKEN
Sports Writer

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