Leontia Kallenou (Greek: Λεοντία Καλλένου, Turkish: Lenotiya Kallenu; born October 5, 1994) is a Cypriot track and field athlete competing in the high jump.
Kallenou went through a try out at GSP stadium and eventually chose high jump, after the coaches noticed that she cleared the bar despite using a wrong technique.
She participated at the World Gymnasiade in Qatar and took fifth position with a jump of 1.78 m.[4] In May Kallenou took another fifth place, this time in the European Youth Olympic Trials in Moscow.
In June she won silver medal[6] in the Games for Small States of Europe in Liechtenstein and a few days later bronze at the European Team Championships in Iceland.
Kallenou didn't participate in many international events in 2012 since she chose to focus on her studies for her last year of high school.
[10] Although securing qualification to the European Championships at Zurich in August, Kallenou chose not to compete[11] but instead returned to the United States to prepare for the 2015 season.
Her biggest success came at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where the Cypriot took fourth place with a jump of 1.86 m.,[12] at the time an Under-23 national record, earning her a First Team All-American honor.
Starting with indoor, Kallenou was crowned NCAA Champion at New Mexico when she went over the bar at 1.87m.,[13] in an event where she only recorded first attempt clearances.
A few days earlier at the SEC Championships in Texas, Kallenou won first position setting an indoor National Record of 1.90m.
Earlier in the outdoor season, Kallenou won gold at the SEC Championships by clearing 1.92 m. at Lexington, Kentucky, a jump that is also a Cypriot National Record.
Two weeks later, at the NCAA Nationals in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Leontia secured her third consecutive All-American title, by winning gold for the Georgia Bulldogs, improving her own indoor NR by three centimeters.
Kallenou became the Cypriot National Record holder in indoor high jump when she passed 1.90 m. on March 1, 2014, at Texas.
Kallenou is currently the holder of eight Cypriot national records at women's high jump, both in outdoor and indoor track and field.