More than two years ago UCLA’s Nicholas Scarvelis received a Facebook message written in Greek.
“Good morning, do you read Greek?” the message said.
Scarvelis responded: “Very little.”
Scarvelis and a Greek track and field coach exchanged several messages before Scarvelis received an invitation, “Would you like to fight with the Greek National Team?”
He became a citizen, traveled to Greece to compete in the shot put at the European Cup and this summer he will represent his grandparents’ native country in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Scarvelis, a senior, improved his throw by more than six inches since the beginning of the season to top the Olympic qualifying standard - 67 feet and three inches - with a personal-best mark of 67 feet 7 1/2 inches at the Triton Invitational last month.