Martha Matsa

Martha Matsa (Greek: Μάρθα Μάτσα; born April 5, 1987) is a Greek swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.[1] She is a two-time Olympian (2004 and 2008), and a member of the swimming team for HAN Thessaloniki.

Martha Matsa
Personal information
Full nameMartha Matsa
National team Greece
Born (1987-04-05) 5 April 1987
Thessaloniki, Greece
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubHAN Thessaloniki

When her nation Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Matsa made her Olympic debut as a 17-year-old, competing in two swimming events. She posted a FINA B-standard of 25.61 (50 m freestyle) from an Olympic test event at the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre.[2] On the first day of the Games, Matsa teamed up with Nery Mantey Niangkouara, Eleni Kosti, and Zoi Dimoschaki in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. She held liable for an early relay takeoff, when the Greeks had been disqualified from the heats.[3][4] Nearly a week later, in the 50 m freestyle, Matsa placed thirty-third on the morning prelims. Swimming in heat seven, she edged out Trinidad and Tobago's Sharntelle McLean to pick up a seventh spot by four-tenths of a second (0.40) in 26.46.[5][6]

On 2 June 2005, Martha Matsa tested positive to the substance Stanozolol (Class S.1 Anabolic Agents) following a doping control test. This was part of the Hellenic unannounced out-of-competition testing programme. Subsequent to that the Disciplinary Board of the Hellenic Swimming Federation imposed a sanction of two (2) years’ suspension on Ms. Matsa.[7]

Matsa swam only in the 50 m freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She achieved a FINA B-standard of 25.67 from the Greece National Open Championships in Tripoli.[8] She challenged seven other swimmers in heat nine, including Slovakia's top favorite and five-time Olympian Martina Moravcová. She raced again to seventh place in 25.68, just a slimmest margin off her entry time, and 0.03 of a second behind Ukraine's Oksana Serikova. Matsa failed to advance into the semifinals, as she matched her overall position from Athens in the prelims.[9]

Matsa was also selected as a reserve for the Greek squad at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, but did not compete in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. Her Greek teammates Niangkouara, Theodora Drakou, Theodora Giareni, and teen sensation Kristel Vourna failed to reach the top 8 final, finishing only in sixteenth place with a time of 3:45.55.[10]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Martha Matsa". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  2. "Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 7)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. "Women's 4×100m Freestyle Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  4. Thomas, Stephen (14 August 2004). "Women's 400 Freestyle Relay Prelims: Aussie Women Qualify Fastest Ahead of Team USA; Germans and Dutch in the Mix". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  5. "Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 7". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. Thomas, Stephen (20 August 2004). "Women's 50 Freestyle, Prelims Day 7: Inky Sizzles in World Best 24.66, Joyce Next in PR 25.06, Jenny Thompson Makes It Too". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  7. "Fina Doping Results". FINA. Archived from the original on 17 October 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  8. "Olympic Cut Sheet – Women's 50m Freestyle" (PDF). Swimming World Magazine. p. 44. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  9. "Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 9". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  10. "Greek athletes compete today in London". Greek Reporter. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2013.


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