After another successful season for Canoe Federation of Slovenia the best athletes have been awarded for their outstanding achievements in the year 2019. 32 different competitors won medals at World and European Championships in senior, U23 and junior age groups, at World Cups and in the overall World and European Cup standings.
It was tough decision who the best paddlers of the year are after Slovenian athletes won medals at World Championships in Canoe Slalom, Canoe Slalom and Wildwater Canoeing. At the end Eva Terčelj, the 2019 World Champion in women’s K1 canoe slalom and second in overall World Cup standings, took the award for the best female paddler of the year, while Luka Božič, bronze medallist in C1 at canoe slalom World Championships and second in the overall World Cup standings, received the award for the best male paddler of the year. Both were also named best paddlers of the year in wildwater category.
“The feelings are great. I am enjoying very much. I am really happy to receive this award. This was the most successful season in my career. I received recognition that I worked hard and that I am capable of reaching the top,” said Eva Terčelj, who also received an award for the third best sportswoman of the year in Slovenia at a ceremony held this week in Ljubljana.
Luka Božič won a bronze medal in C1 at World Championships and finished second in the overall World Cup standings, and also won European Champion title in team events at this year’s championships in Pau, where he won the gold medal together with Benjamin Savšek and Anže Berčič. For these achievements he was named best paddler of the year, “I know what I did in this season and I am very happy for that. But at this moment I am already looking ahead. The Olympic season is on my mind and this will be my main focus in the period ahead of me.”
Canoe sprinters Špela Ponomarenko Janić and Anja Osterman too had an amazing season,winning silver and bronze medal in K2 200 and 500 meters in Szeged, as well as picking up four medals, two of them gold, in the World Cup series. For these results they received an award for the best female canoe sprinters of the year. Jošt Zakrajšek was named best male canoe sprinter of the year. The best female junior of the year became Eva Alina Hočevar, best male junior paddler of the year is Nejc Polenčič, while the coach of the year award went to the hands of Jernej Abramič.
Source: http://www.kajak-zveza.si/moduli/novice/najboljsa-sportnika-leta-kajakaske-zveze-slovenije-sta-eva-tercelj-in-luka-bozic
20.12.2019
