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After the Olympic season 2016 many competitors announced retirement, including numerous medallists from the Olympic Games, European and World Championships. Health problems forced canoe slalom athlete Jure Meglič to call it quits. Slovenian-born paddler had the most success as the member of Slovenian national team. Since 2014 he competed for Azerbaijan.

32-year-old kayaker is one of the most successful Slovenian canoe slalom paddlers of all times. He won medals at World and European Championships and also won medals in the World Cup series.

His biggest individual success was bronze medal at his home course on the Sava River at the 2010 World Championships in Tacen. In the same year Meglič also won a silver medal at the European Championships in Bratislava when he had to congratulate his team colleague Peter Kauzer on the European Champion title. In the years 2006, 2007 and 2011 he won European Champion titles in mens kayak team events and also picked up a bronze in 2010 with his team mates at the European Championships. He also has two World Cup wins (Tacen 2007 and Bratislava 2012) and silver from the World Cup race in Tacen in 2011.

In 2014 Jure Meglič started competing for Azerbaijan to follow his Olympic dreams. As the rules only allow one athlete per nation in the category at the Olympic Games his odds were very slim against Peter Kauzer who later won a silver medal in Rio. Meglič won a quota for Azerbaijan at the World Championships in London and finished his Olympic debut in 14th place.

In the recent years Meglič spent a lot of time fighting injuries and also underwent a back surgery. "I have been advised not to burden my back and to consider the end of career. While I was deciding whether to finish or continue racing career, although I was skeptical because of the pain, I got an offer as a second coach of the Austrian national team and an opportunity to work with Helmut Oblinger. The decision was then somewhat easier, because I have been thinking about the coaching career after I stop paddling," said Jure Meglič.

MEDAL RECORD:
Gold medal – 2006 European Championships – L Argentière-la-Bessée – K1M team
Gold medal – 2007 European Championships – Liptovsky Mikuláš – K1M team
Gold medal – 2011 European Championships – La Seu d Urgell – K1M team
Silver medal – 2010 European Championships – Bratislava – K1M
Bronze medal – 2010 World Championships – Tacen – K1M
Bronze medal – 2010 European Championships – Bratislava – K1M team