Cypriot fencer Alexandros Tofalidis presented his book, Fighting For Your Dream: Mastering Resilience and Performing When It Really Matters, in London last week.
The book charts his 21-year journey from childhood, when his mother enrolled him in a fencing club, to the lifelong dream of reaching the Olympic Games in 2024.
Tofalides became the first Cypriot fencer ever not only to qualify for the Olympics but also, with a win in his opening bout at the Grand Palais in Paris, to reach the round of 32.
Described as a work on motivation and inspiration, about delivering at your best when it truly counts, the book speaks to life and career challenges faced by athletes and professionals alike.
Tofalidis came up through the UK’s fencing development programmes and by 22 had become British and European champion. At 23 he decided to switch national allegiance and compete for Cyprus, to honour the name, family and origins of his father, whom he lost prematurely.
In 2021, he reached the final of the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament but lost and missed out on the Games. When the dream seemed to be slipping away, he found the strength to return three years later, this time winning the final and booking his ticket to Paris 2024.
“Alex takes you on a journey filled with passion, sacrifice and unshakeable faith. This book is a genuine source of inspiration for athletes and non-athletes alike,” writes Pavlos Kontides in his foreword. Also an Olympian, Kontides is the country’s most decorated athlete, after winning Cyprus’s first-ever Olympic medal with silver in the Laser at London 2012, and a second silver at Paris 2024.
The book is currently available in English only, from Novaro Publishing (London) and amazon.co.uk; a Greek edition will follow soon.
The next presentation will take place on Wednesday, October 8, at Cyprus House in London, organised by the Cyprus High Commission in the UK and NEPOMAK UK (the youth branch of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots).
Source: CNA