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Matej Benus was named the Best Sportsman of the Year 2024 in Slovakia for the first time in his career. The 37-year-old paddler from Bratislava was in the top 10 of the best athlete of the year in Slovakia for the fourth time, but so far his highest position was in 2016 when he was fifth after winning silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. This year he was withot a serious competition. He received 1323 points to claim the title, while Gabriela Gajanova (athletics) finished second in the poll with 845 points. Another canoe slalom paddler Zuzana Pankova was seventh in the standings with 442 points. Matej Benus is the fourth representative of canoe slalom to be named the best Slovak Sportsman of the year after Michal Martikan, Elena Kaliska, and Peter and Pavol Hochschorner.

 

It was a successful season 2024 for Matej Benus. After squeezing himself into the final of the Paris Olympic Games in men’s canoe, he picked up bronze medal in the exciting final, winning his second Olympic medal (he was second in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro). In addition, after 2010, 2015, and 2019, he became the overall World Cup winner for the fourth time in his career. His best result in the World Cup series in the 2024 season was in Krakow, where he finished second in the men’s C1.

 

“It’s a huge honor for me, I’m in the top three for the first time, and I’m immediately the winner. While sports results are more important to me, being the sportsman of the year is a great prestige. I want to thank all the journalists who voted for me. This season was successful, the goal was the Olympic medal, and the overall World Cup triumph was the cherry on top,” he said during the gala evening.

 

 

Photo: Matej Benus Facebook page