| Native Name Lang: | gr | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 6 October 1885 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Athens, Kingdom of Greece | ||||||||||||
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Dimitrios Loundras (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Δημήτριος Λούνδρας; 6 September 1885 – 15 February 1970) was a Greek gymnast and naval officer who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.
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,[1] [2] if one discounts an unknown competitor of disputed age who competed as coxswain for the Dutch coxed pair rowing team in the 1900 Olympics.[3]
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.[1]
From 1924 on, he was a member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. After World War II he played a leading role in the establishment of the Hellenic Shooting Federation, and became its first president. In 1936 he also served briefly as prefect of Lesbos Prefecture.
Book: Wallechinsky, David . The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition . Loucky, Jaime . 2008 . . 978-1-84513-330-6 . 702 .