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Written by Svilen PetrovApril 28, 2025

Cypriot high jumper Despina Charalambous

Despina Charalambous is Cypriot track and field athlete in the high jump, who is a three-time national champion. Her personal best in the event is 184cm, cleared at the Limassol Cyprus U20 Championships in 2021.

Despina Charalambous was born on May 22, 2000. She started in athletics at an early age and showed great skills in talent in the high jump, but previously also trained long jump and sprints.

Despina Charalambous started her competitive career already in 2016, winning the high jump bronze at the Pireaus Meeting. Although quite young, she also took part at the Lefkosia Cyprus Championships, winning the bronze with 168cm.

In 2017, she started the season with a new personal best of 172cm at Pireaus Meeting, before competing at the Istanbul Balkan Indoor U20 Championships, where finished 6th, clearing 169cm. Despina Charalambous finished 4th at the Athina Greek Indoor Championships again clearing 172cm, but later during the season won her first national title at the Limassol Cyprus Championships after recording 173cm. She repeated this result at the Tel Aviv European Athletics Team Championships Second League, finishing 6th, but also competed at the Pitesti Balkan U20 Championships, where cleared 170cm for the 6th position again.

Despina Charalambous improved her personal best in 2018 to 178cm at the Istanbul Balkan U20 Championships, winning the silver. During the season, she won another national title at the Paralimni Cyprus Championships, won the gold at the Nicosia Cyprus Spring Champtionships, finished second at the Schaan Championships of the Small States of Europe, and 6th at the Sofia Balkan U20 Indoor Championships.

In 2019, Despina Charalambous competed at the Miramas Mediterranean U23 Indoor Championships, but missed the honors after finished 6th with 170cm. However, she continue the season strongly by winning the gold at the London Games with 175cm and won the gold at the Limassol Cyprus U20 Championships and the bronze at the Laniteia 2019 & Cyprus University Championships, both clearing 172cm. She won the silver at the Bar XVIII Games of the Small States of Europe and earned the bronze at the Nicosia Cyprus Championships. At the Limassol Open Meeting in the end of the season she improved her personal best to 179cm.

Despina Charalambous had a very short season in 2020, which stopped her pace, although succeeded to improved her personal best again to 182cm at the Limassol Open Meeting. She also cleared 180cm at Nicosia Cyprus U20 Championships and earned the silver at the Nicosia Cyprus Championships.

Despina Charalambous had her most successful season in 2021. She set her personal best of 184cm at the Limassol Cyprus U20 Championships, but also competed at the Istanbul Balkan Indoor Championships, Smederevo Balkan Championships, and Tallinn European Athletics U23 Championships, narrowly missing the honors. Meanwhile, she won the bronze at the Limassol Cyprus Championships. During the season she cleared over 180cm four times and had a great performance.

In 2022, Despina Charalambous won her third national title at the Limassol Cyprus Championships, clearing 176cm. Meanwhile, she competed at the International Jumping Meeting “Filahtlitikos Kallithea” in Athens, Papaflessia Athletics Meeting 2022 in Kalamata, as well as Craiova Balkan Championships, Oran XIX Mediterranean Games, and Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games, but again missed the honors.

In 2023, Despina Charalambous finished 4th at the Filathlitikos Kallithea International High Jump Indoor Meeting in Athens and won the gold at the Nicosia 25 March Open Meeting. She cleared 182cm at the Limassol Laniteia Open Meeting to win the gold, as well as 184cm at the Athens Filothei Women Gala to win the bronze. She finished 6th at the Limassol Cyprus International Athletics Meeting and 5th at the Venizelia Chania International Meeting. At the Nicosia Cyprus Championships, Despina Charalambous cleared 182cm to win the silver. She also competed at the Kraljevo Balkan Championships but remained only 8th.

Despina Charalambous had a short season in 2024. She competed at the prestigious Trinec Beskydska latka, finishing 10th with 177cm. At the Hustopecske skakani, she also finished 19th with 183cm, while at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting was 5th with 182cm. At the Greek Greek Indoor Championships, Despina Charalambous cleared 177cm.