Spela PONOMARENKO JANIC (SLO)
Slovenia
Age:
43 years
Languages:
English, Italian, Slovene
Federation:
CANOE FEDERATION OF SLOVENIA
Biography
Further Personal Information
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Koper, SLO
OCCUPATION
Armed Forces, Athlete
HIGHER EDUCATION
Administration Studies
WHEN/WHERE DID YOU START CANOEING/ KAYAKING?
She took up the sport at age 12 at the KKK Zusterna club in Koper, Slovenia.
HOBBIES
Reading, travelling, photography
CLUB
KKK Zusterna: Koper, SLO
NAME OF COACH
Stjepan Janic [husband], CRO
TRAINING REGIME
She paddles twice a day for a total of 30 kilometres
SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT YEAR
2002
HERO/IDOL
Canoe sprint athlete Josefa Idem
SPORTING PHILOSOPHY/ MOTTO
"Train hard, go fast and have fun." (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
AWARDS AND HONORS
She was named the 2015 Athlete of the Year in Koper, Slovenia. (kajak-zveza.si, 05 Mar 2016)She was named the 2013 and 2015 Female Paddler of the Year by the Canoe Federation of Slovenia. (sportscene.tv, 05 Dec 2013; kajak-zveza.si, 06 Nov 2015)She was the flag bearer for Slovenia at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (siol.net, 22 Aug 2008)
OTHER INFORMATION
MATERNITY LEAVE She missed 20 months of competition after giving birth to her son Adam. Her last appearance before the birth was at the 2013 World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, in August 2013. She returned at the World Cup event in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal, in May 2015. (siol.net, 17 May 2015; siol.net, 15 May 2015)
SPORTING RELATIVES
Her husband Stjepan Janic represented Croatia in canoe sprint at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
