World class Hungarian kayaker retires

Three-time Olympic and 31-time world champion Hungarian kayaker Katalin Kovács has announced her retirement. She thanked her coaches, fellow competitors, sports clubs, the kayak and canoe federation and doctors who helped her during her career that spanned over twenty years.

One of the most successful kayakers of all time, she started her career in 1987 in the Budapest club Spartacus and later competed in other clubs like BSE, BKV Elõre SC, Újpesti TE, MTK and lastly, Budapest Honvéd.

She participated at four Olympic Games and won three gold medals: two in K-2 500 m in 2004 and 2008 and one in K-4 500 m in 2012. She also collected five silver medals at the Olympic Games. Her last world competition was the Duisburg World Championships in 2013, after which she gave birth to a baby girl in 2014. Even though she came back, she wasn’t able to qualify for the Rio Olympics this year.