When we met him, almost 5 months after a special race (the 1st Road Race for the National Fan Day) where he finished first by a significant margin, it brought to the surface what we all felt at the starting point of the 5km when we saw a young man arrive (much faster than we expected the first runners of the 10km) and, a bit bewildered, leave a white carnation on the white steps, at the spot where Alkis was murdered.

This immense emotion we felt, the tears in the eyes of many, and the prolonged applause from the 5km runners who were waiting to start…

…was also felt by Dani. He told us that for a moment he thought that was the finish line, but when he was directed to continue the route, the warm applause he heard made him feel as if he had just started the race.

Just as when, after a very fast pace, he arrived tired at the new beach of Thessaloniki, those 3km (to the finish at the statue of Alexander the Great) he will never forget because the people who were there, on that cloudy Sunday, February 2, 2025, stopped walking and applauded him.

I imagine that even though we did not give him a gold medal or put him on a podium, or even raise the Spanish flag because this young man came to us from Zamora in Northwestern Spain, we only gave him the same medal we gave to nearly 2,000 runners who participated and a commemorative diploma, he will remember, among other things, when we introduced him and he spoke with Melina and Aris (the parents of Alkis).

He ran and finished first wearing the yellow and black colors of the club he created with his friends. Pisteros Teruel. The team that Alkis loved also wears yellow and black. Another “coincidence”…

Dani found himself in Thessaloniki because he was brought here by the… scholar, intellectual, Europeanist, Erasmus, or to be precise, the excellent Erasmus program of the European Union for student mobility, or as it is clearly stated, for the creative osmosis of the peoples of Europe.

Through Erasmus, Dani is a student in the Sculpture Department of the School of Fine Arts at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The remarkable and talented Mr. Dani Tomè, among many other pursuits and the road races he consistently participates in, has also engaged in Taekwondo, enjoys painting, plays electric guitar, follows football (he supports Atlético Madrid), and more.

Dani’s path crossed with that of the Structure when he saw a poster for the road race outside Aristotle University.

However, the identification with him is complete because what he told us, that “Sports Unite,” and that he was impressed to see so many runners wearing the jerseys of the teams they love and embracing each other at the starting line and the finish line, embodies the main motto of the Structure and is printed on the back of the shirt of the Structure that we gifted him: Sports unite – It does not kill.

We, who met Dani to publicize and promote the energy and the remarkable person he is, want to thank him. We believe there will be an opportunity to meet again after the end of July when the program concludes and he leaves Thessaloniki, and we consider that we have gained a good friend.

We also want to address Dani and tell him, as it comes to us spontaneously:

Dani, my boy, you are already very “important” apart from your parents, family, and friends because the impact of your actions in society already exists and is very significant.

P.S.: As a true sportsman, Dani wanted us to schedule our meeting a bit earlier so he could make it to the high jump event organized at the Kamara monument by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Thus, we had a somewhat… unorthodox and perhaps a little crazy idea: For Dani to wear the shirt of the Structure and act as our ambassador to the Municipality of Thessaloniki for our request (from the whole society)… The creation of a memorial space for Alkis. Dani accepted without hesitation!

Thank you, Dani Tomè, for everything!!!

Lefteris Papas