Anze Urankar to compete in third world championship discipline this year

Anze Urankar: A Paddling Polymath

Anze Urankar, a highly adaptable paddler, is expanding his competitive repertoire at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships. This event in Madeira marks his unique achievement of competing in three distinct world championship disciplines within a single year. A Youth Olympic Games gold medalist in Canoe Slalom and a multiple world champion in Wildwater Canoeing, Urankar now also excels in Canoe Sprint and Ocean Racing. Representing Slovenia, Urankar previously competed at the ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Championships in Sabero, Spain, and the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during a packed August. His debut at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships follows these, alongside attending the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships as a coach. Urankar humorously remarked, "I will have to do Canoe Polo next," emphasizing his belief that "it is good to do all the disciplines and take the most out of each of them," and to "enjoy it as well and not just focus on results."

From Slalom to Wildwater and Sprint

Urankar's paddling journey began with Canoe Slalom at age nine, culminating in a Youth Olympic victory at Nanjing 2014. Despite this success, he chose to move into Wildwater Canoeing, explaining, "I didn’t want to stay there as I like more people in wildwater." Over the past seven years, he has become an elite Wildwater paddler, securing K1 sprint world titles in 2017, 2023, and 2024. Immediately after defending his Wildwater title in Sabero, Urankar transitioned to the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Samarkand, finishing fifth in the men's K1 200m final. "It was my first time, so I was happy to make fifth place," he said, expressing ambition for future improvement. He believes his flatwater training significantly aids his Wildwater performance: "Flatwater really helps me with my physical preparations for...

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