Michal Martikán facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michal Martikán

Martikán in 2019
Personal information
Nationality	Slovak
Born	(1979-05-18) 18 May 1979 (age 46) Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.70 m
Weight	72 kg
Sport
Country	Slovakia
Sport	Canoe slalom
Event(s)	C1
Club	KTK Dukla Liptovský Mikuláš
Medal record Men's canoe slalom Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 2 1 World Championships 15 3 5 European Championships 15 6 3 Junior World Championships 1 2 0 Junior European Championships 3 0 0 Representing  Slovakia Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta C1 Gold 2008 Beijing C1 Silver 2000 Sydney C1 Silver 2004 Athens C1 Bronze 2012 London C1 World Championships Gold 1997 Três Coroas C1 Gold 1997 Três Coroas C1 team Gold 2002 Bourg St.-Maurice C1 Gold 2003 Augsburg C1 Gold 2003 Augsburg C1 team Gold 2007 Foz do Iguaçu C1 Gold 2009 La Seu d'Urgell C1 team Gold 2010 Tacen C1 team Gold 2011 Bratislava C1 team Gold 2013 Prague C1 team Gold 2014 Deep Creek Lake C1 team Gold 2015 London C1 team Gold 2017 Pau C1 team Gold 2018 Rio de Janeiro C1 team Gold 2019 La Seu d'Urgell C1 team Silver 2006 Prague C1 Silver 2009 La Seu d'Urgell C1 Silver 2010 Tacen C1 Bronze 1995 Nottingham C1 Bronze 1995 Nottingham C1 team Bronze 1999 La Seu d'Urgell C1 Bronze 2005 Penrith C1 Bronze 2017 Pau C1 European Championships Gold 1998 Roudnice nad Labem C1 team Gold 2000 Mezzana C1 team Gold 2002 Bratislava C1 team Gold 2005 Tacen C1 team Gold 2007 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 Gold 2007 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 team Gold 2008 Kraków C1 Gold 2008 Kraków C1 team Gold 2009 Nottingham C1 Gold 2010 Bratislava C1 Gold 2010 Bratislava C1 team Gold 2012 Augsburg C1 team Gold 2015 Markkleeberg C1 team Gold 2016 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 team Gold 2021 Ivrea C1 team Silver 1998 Roudnice nad Labem C1 Silver 2006 L'Argentière-la-Bessée C1 Silver 2006 L'Argentière-la-Bessée C1 team Silver 2014 Vienna C1 Silver 2016 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 Silver 2018 Prague C1 team Bronze 2014 Vienna C1 team Bronze 2017 Tacen C1 Bronze 2024 Tacen C1 team Junior World Championships Gold 1994 Wausau C1 Silver 1996 Lipno C1 Silver 1996 Lipno C1 team Junior European Championships Gold 1995 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 Gold 1995 Liptovský Mikuláš C1 team Gold 1997 Nowy Sącz C1

Michal Martikán (born May 18, 1979) is a famous Slovak slalom canoeist. He started competing internationally in 1994. In 1996, he made history. He became the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Slovakia. This was a big moment for his country, which became independent in 1993.

Michal has won many medals in his career. He has five Olympic medals in total. These include two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. This is more than any other slalom paddler. He has also won the World Championship title four times in the C1 individual category.

Michal's Amazing Career

Michal Martikán achieved great things at a young age. When he was just 16, he became the youngest person to win a World Cup slalom canoeing event. A few months later, at 17, he competed in the 1996 Olympics. He was in sixth place after his first run. But he gave it his all in the second run. He beat the score of the champion, Lukáš Pollert. This made Michal the first Olympic champion for independent Slovakia.

Olympic Games Success

Michal was a favorite at the 2000 Olympics. He had been doing very well in all major competitions. In Sydney, he had the best score in the first round. But he was in fifth place after the first part of the final. In his second run, he paddled perfectly. His time was the fastest. He moved up to win a silver medal. Tony Estanguet from France won the gold.

In 2004, Michal competed in his third Olympics. Again, he led the qualifying round. He also had the best score in the semi-finals. After the second run, it looked like he had won gold again. But the judges gave him a two-second penalty. This pushed him to second place. He was only a tiny bit behind Estanguet.

Michal won the Olympic gold medal again at the 2008 games in Beijing. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won a bronze medal. Michal Martikán is the only slalom canoeist to win five Olympic medals. He won one medal in each of the five Olympic Games from 1996 to 2012.

World Championship Achievements

Michal Martikán had an amazing streak at the World Championships. He won a medal in the individual C1 event every year from 1995 to 2010. In 2011, he finished outside the medals for the first time. This happened at a home event in Bratislava. However, he still won a gold medal in the team event. This kept his medal streak going.

He won six more gold medals in the C1 team event. These wins were between 2013 and 2019. This means he won a medal at 17 straight World Championships. He won his first World Championship medals in 1995. He was only 16 years old then. He won a bronze in the C1 event and another bronze in the C1 team event.

In 1997, he won his first individual world title. He also won a team gold medal. He won the individual C1 event three more times. These wins were in 2002, 2003, and 2007. As of 2019, he has 23 World Championship medals in total. This includes 15 golds, 3 silvers, and 5 bronzes. This is more than any other slalom paddler in any category.

World Cup Titles

Michal has also won the overall World Cup title five times. These wins were in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2014. This is a record for C1 paddlers.

European Championship Success

At the European Championships, Michal won four individual gold medals in a row. These were from 2007 to 2010. Slovakia's C1 team, with Michal, won the team event 11 times. He also has 6 silver medals (4 individual, 2 team) and 3 bronze medals (1 individual, 2 team).

Michal Martikán's father, Jozef, is his coach.

Major Championships Results Timeline

World Cup Individual Podiums

				Total
C1	20	10	13	43

¹ World Championship counting for World Cup points

² European Championship counting for World Cup points

³ Oceania Championship counting for World Cup points

Awards and Recognition

Michal Martikán has received several important awards:

• Slovak Sportsperson of the Year: He won this award in 1996, 1997, 2007, and 2008.
• Whitewater Hall of Fame: He was added to the Whitewater Hall of Fame in 2010. This honors people who have made a big impact in whitewater sports.

See also

• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists