Michal Martikán is described in the public record as Slovak slalom canoeist. Born in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, in 1979.
Michal Martikán (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmixal ˈmartikaːn]; born 18 May 1979) is a Slovak slalom canoeist who has been competing at the international level since 1994. In 1996 he became the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Slovakia since the country gained independence in 1993. In total he won 5 Olympic medals (2 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze), which is the most among all slalom paddlers. He has also won the World Championship title in the C1 individual category four times. == Career == At the age of 16, Michal Martikán became the youngest winner of a World Cup slalom canoeing event. Three months later, at age 17, Martikán was in sixth place after the first run of the canoe slalom singles event at the 1996 Olympics. With nothing to lose, he went all out on the second run and just bettered the score of defending champion Lukáš Pollert of the Czech Republic.
Michal Martikán is recorded among the figures by whom sailing is remembered, and the surviving account of that career is the basis on which the reputation rests.
Competitive sailing is decided as much by reading wind and current as by boat speed, and a result is scored across a series rather than a single start.
.jpg)
