Two-time Hungarian Olympic gold medallist Krisztina Fazekas-Zur has been elected by her peers to join the International Canoe Federation’s Athletes Committee.
Fazekas-Zur, who won World Championship gold as a member of the Hungarian women’s K4 500 team in Racice on the weekend, finished ahead of Denmark’s Henriette Engel Hansen and Poland’s Beata Mikolajczyk in the poll conducted during the World Championships.
Russian sprinter Yurii Postrigai, a K2 200 gold medallist at the London Olympics, was elected unopposed as the male representative on the committee.
Fazekas-Zur, a member of Hungary’s K4 500 gold medal team at the London and Rio Olympics, and the winner of eight World Championship gold medals, said she was looking forward to giving athletes a strong voice.
“I’m really very happy, I’m moved people voted for me because I really wanted this position,” she said.
“I’ve already talked with the athletes here at the World Championships, and I hope we can have a stronger voice. I hope we can have a good conversation.”
Fazekas-Zur and Postrigai will join South Africa’s Hayley Jo-Nixon (Canoe Marathon), Great Britain’s Claire O’Hara (Canoe Freestyle), Great Britain’s Tim Lodge (Paracanoe) and Australia’s Amanda Reynolds (Paracanoe) on the committee.
Elections for representatives from canoe slalom will be held during next month’s World Championships in Pau.