Špela Ponomarenko Janić and Benjamin Savšek Slovenian paddlers of the year
14.12.2017
2017 Canoe Slalom World Champion Benjamin Savšek was named best Sportsman of the year, while Špela Ponomarenko Janić, two-times European and World Championships medallist, received an award for Sportswoman of the year at an annual gala event of the Canoe Federation of Slovenia.
The task of voters who had the opportunity to choose best paddlers of the year in Slovenia was not easy. Altogether 29 paddlers won at least a medal at this year’s European and World Championships or World Cup events (Senior, U23 or junior category) in canoe slalom, canoe sprint and wildwater canoeing. At the end it was an evening of celebration for Špela Ponomarenko Janić and Benjamin Savšek.
Season 2017 was almost dreamy for Ponomarenko Janić as she won a medal in every race she started this year. She won silver medal together with Anja Osterman at this year’s European Championships in Plovdiv in women’s K2 500 metres event and picked up a bronze in women’s K1 200 metres final. Ponomarenko Janić added two more medals at World Championships in Račice, winning bronze medals in K2 500 metres (with Osterman) and K1 200 metres event. However these were not the only medals for the best Slovenian female paddler of all times. She won the overall world cup series, after winning medals at all three world cups of the season.
A bit more competition had Benjamin Savšek, the 2017 C1M Canoe Slalom World Champion. He was one of the five senior 2017 World Championships medallists, not to mention additional medallists at European Championships. But Savšek who has been among the best canoeists in the world in the past years received this title thanks to his first gold individual World Championships medal he won in Pau. This was his fourth consecutive individual world championships medal (silver in 2014, 2015; and bronze in 2013). He also won second place in overall world cup standings.
The best junior of the year was Tine Kancler, 2017 Junior Canoe Slalom European Champion.
Benjamin Savšek also received Marjan Rožanc award, which is the highest award in sport awarded by the city of Ljubljana. In the Slovenian Sportsman of the year standings Benjamin Savšek finished fourth, sharing position with Athletico Madrid’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Špela Ponomarenko Janić was also fourth in Slovenian Sportswoman of the year standings.
14.12.2017
