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The year 2018 was another successful year for Serbian Canoeing. Their competitors have won medals at European and World Championships in Junior, U23 and Senior categories, and at Mediterranean Games. Besides that they have also hosted the 2018 ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships in Belgrade.

 

 

“It is a great honour to say from one year to another we had a very successful year. In 2018 our competitors won 24 medals at major international competitions in all age categories. This gives us a right to confidence we will continue with excellent results in upcoming years. We have organised a successful international competition. We have hosted over one thousand competitors from 40 countries at European Championships and received the highest appraisal of the European Canoe Association and teams who competed at Ada Ciganlija,” said president of the Canoe Federation of Serbia Mirko Nišović and continued, “As usual, there is no place for rest as we are entering the pre-Olympic season which is the hardest. In August 2019 the fight for Olympic Games in Tokyo awaits us.”

 

 

The award for the female athlete of the year went to Milica Starović. 30-year-old paddler, born in Novi Sad, won a gold medal at the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Spain in women’s K1 500 metres event. “I wanted this season to be even more successful. Since we have already started the preparations for the next season I hope I will fulfil the goals I have set for the next season. The plans are clear. We have European Games and World Championships where we will compete for Olympic quotas. This is the most important goal for the next season,” said Starović.    

 

 

Marko Tomičević and Milenko Zorić received an award in best male paddler of the year category. This duo won the European Champion title in front of their fans in Belgrade in men’s K2 1000 metres final and picked up a bronze medal in the same event at the World Championships in Portugal. “It is a great honour to be named best sportsman of Serbian Canoe Federation for a third time,” said Milenko Zorić, and Marko Tomičević added, “I am satisfied with this season which was, we could say, similar to the previous ones. But what stands out it is the fact that European Championships was held in Belgrade. We won here, set the World Best time, and this is what makes this season more special than other ones.”

 

 

Željana Petrović and Bojan Zdelar are the best Young Paddlers of the year, Uroš Pavlović was named best coach in 2018, while the best canoeing club of the year in sprint was Zorka from Šabac, best wildwater canoeing club is Drina from Bajina Bašta and best canoe slalom club is Ibar from Kraljevo.