Natasa Dusev-Janics ( sr-Latn, Nataša Dušev-Janić, sr-Cyrl, Наташа Душев-Јанић; born 24 June 1982) is a Serbian-Hungarian

sprint canoer Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

who has competed for

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

since 2001 and has won six Olympic medals in the sprint canoe events.

Early life

Natasa grew up in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and competed for

FR Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

before moving to

. She is a daughter of Milan Janić (1957-2003), a Serbian canoer who won a silver medal for Yugoslavia in the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an i ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Both her brothers, Mićo and

Stjepan Janić Stjepan Janić (; born 24 November 1980 in Bačka Palanka, Serbia), is a Serbian and Croatian sprint canoer. In 1998, he won his first silver medal as a member of the Serbia and Montenegro (then under Yugoslavia) crew which took the ...

, are canoers and have competed for Croatia since 2004. They took part in the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

, though Mićo was only nominated as a reserve.

Career

Janics won two Olympic gold medals in the sprint canoe events at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, another gold and silver medal at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

and silver and bronze at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. She has also won 26 medals at the

ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two top-tier Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation (the other being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships). They ...

with 20 golds (K-1 200 m:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

; K-2 200 m:

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, 2009, 2010; K-2 500 m: 2005, 2006; K-2 1000 m: 2005, 2006; K-4 200 m:

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, 2003, 2006; K-4 500 m: 2006, 2009, 2010; K-4 1000 m:

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, 2006; K-1 200 m relay:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

) and six silvers (K-1 500 m: 2010, K-1 : 2009, 2010; K-2 200 m: 2015; K-2 500 m: 2013; K-4 200 m: 2009). She was elected Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year in 2004 and 2010. Together with

Katalin Kovács Katalin Kovács (born 29 February 1976) is a Hungarian canoe sprinter. She competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won eight medals, with three golds (K-2 500 m: 2004, 2008, K-4 500 m: 2012) and five silvers (K-2 500 m: 2000, 2 ...

she earned the title Hungarian Sportsteam of the year in 2005, 2006 and 2010. On 4 October 2012 it was revealed that she made a decision to return and compete under the flag of her native country, Serbia. On 9 March 2013 she informed the Hungarian Canoe Federation in a letter about changing her mind and her wish to compete for Hungary during her professional career. She's been suffering from a

herniated disc A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, ...

in her neck since 2012; in 2019 she has stated that it's reached a point where she is considering retirement.

Awards

* Yugoslav Young Athlete of the Year: 2000 * Hungarian kayaker of the Year (4): 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 *

Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year () awards are granted each year since 1958, with categories for sportsmen, sportswomen, teams, coach (sports), coaches (since 1985) and presidents (since 1995). List of winners Statistics Individual winn ...

(2) - votes of sports journalists: 2004, 2010 * Hungarian Athlete of the Year (1) - the National Sports Association (NSSZ) awards: 2004 * Person of the Year by

Magyar Szó ''Magyar Szó'' (, lit. ''Hungarian Word'') is a Hungarian-language daily newspaper in Vojvodina, Serbia. History It was founded in 1944, with the purpose of serving as the information source for the Hungarian minority of Vojvodina. It is pub ...

: 2004 * Member of the Hungarian team of year (with

): 2005, 2006, 2010 * Príma Primissima award (2006) * Pro Universitate (2008) ;Orders and special awards *

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

– Officer's Cross (2004) * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary – Commander's Cross (2008) * Order of Merit of Hungary – Commander's Cross with Star (2012)

References

Canoe09.ca profile
* * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dusev-Janics, Natasa 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Bačka Palanka Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Hungarian female canoeists Hungarian people of Serbian descent Olympic canoeists for Hungary Olympic canoeists for Serbia and Montenegro Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic silver medalists for Hungary Serbian female canoeists Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Hungary Naturalized citizens of Hungary Naturalised sports competitors Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Serbia and Montenegro sportswomen 21st-century Hungarian sportswomen