Slovak Canoeing held a ceremony to award the best athletes, teams and coaches who have excelled in the year 2019 and those involved in canoeing for their lifelong contribution to the sport. Matej Benuš and Peter Gelle were named sportsmen of the year, while ECA vice-president Miroslav Haviar received an award for the lifelong contribution to canoe sprint.
Slovak canoeist Matej Benuš received an award for the best Slovak paddler of the year 2019 in wildwater category. He finished the season with an overall win in the world cup series and was a member of a team who won the record ninth World Champion title in team events. He also received the award for the best in canoe wildwater category.
In the sprint canoeing Peter Gelle received an award for the best sportsman of the year. He was fourth in men’s K1 1000 metres event at World Championships in Szeged and finished fifth in K2 together with Adam Botek at European Games in Minsk. He also received an award for the best kayaker in flatwater category.
The best in women’s kayak were Eliška Mintalova (wildwater) and Ivana Kmetova (flatwater), the award for the best flatwater paddler of the year went to Matej Rusnak and the award for the best wildwater kayaker to Jakub Grigar. Monika Škachova (wildwater) and Gabriela Ladičova (flatwater) were the best female canoeists of the year, while Zuzana Pankova (wildwater) and Marko Ujvari (flatwater) are talents of the year.
Peter Škantar was named best wildwater coach of the year and Radovan Šimočko best flatwater coach of the year. Peter Murcko (wildwater) and Libomir Hagara sr. (flatwater) received the awards for junior’s coaches of the year. Ľubor ‘Sančo’ Petro and Martin Bielik received an award for the best technical officials of the year.
Special prizes were given for the performances of the year. Samuel Balaž, Erik Vlček, Csaba Zalka, Adam Botek were awarded for their bronze medal in men’s K4 1000 metres event at World Championships in Szeged, while Andrej Malek received an award for the first ever World Cup win of a Slovak kayaker.
For the lifelong contribution to canoeing the award was given to Alexander Slafkovsky senior for his work in canoe slalom, while in canoe sprint the award went to the hands of ECA’s vice president Miroslav Haviar and Tibor Soos.
Peter Mraz, coach of two times Olympic champion Elena Kaliska, and Ladislav Čepčiansky, former paddler and Olympian, were introduced to the Slovak Canoeing’s Hall of Fame.
Source: https://www.canoe.sk/sk/hladka-voda/clanok/sportovcami-roka-gelle-a-benus-?fbclid=IwAR1Afw-D7vDqO3wUqmPEdaW_Ck-MdA_4QJ1Wx3_VynbcZEFoUldKVRI5djQ
Photo: Pavol Uhrin - https://www.fotosport.sk/
27.1.2020
