Hungarian · Bačka Palanka, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) · Born 24 June 1982Serbian-born Hungarian sprint kayaker who won three Olympic gold medals and formed one of women's canoeing's most dominant partnerships with Katalin Kovács.
Nataša Janić was born on 24 June 1982 in Bačka Palanka, Yugoslavia, to a paddling family - her father Milan Janić had won Olympic silver in kayak for Yugoslavia in 1984. She made her Olympic debut for Serbia and Montenegro at the 2000 Sydney Games, finishing fourth in the K-1 500m at just 18, before switching her competitive allegiance to Hungary in 2001 and gaining citizenship. Janics's move paid off immediately: partnered with Katalin Kovács from 2004, she won gold in both the K-1 500m and K-2 500m at the Athens Olympics, the two golds coming within an hour of each other. She defended the K-2 500m title with Kovács at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and added a silver in the K-4 500m, before winning silver and bronze at the 2012 London Games. Her partnership with Kovács became one of the most dominant in women's canoe sprint history, sweeping all nine women's events at the 2006 World Championships in Szeged and winning six golds between them that year alone. Across her career, Janics won 18 World Championship gold medals and 15 European titles, amassing 56 medals across major international competitions when combined with her six Olympic medals. She was named Hungary's Best Athlete of the Year in 2010 and Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year in both 2004 and 2010. Janics took a break from competition in 2011 for the birth of her daughter, named Milana after her late father, and continued competing into her thirties despite a chronic neck injury, eventually retiring after the 2016 Rio Olympics with six career Olympic medals.
Forming one of women's canoe sprint's most dominant partnerships with Katalin Kovács, winning three Olympic gold medals for Hungary
How They Played
Explosive middle-distance sprinter known for perfectly synchronized technique in doubles and quads, and a devastating finishing kick in the 500m
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the greatest female sprint kayakers in history, whose partnership with Katalin Kovács defined an era of Hungarian dominance in women's canoeing
Career Honours
- 3x Olympic Gold Medalist (2004x2, 2008)
- 6 Olympic medals across 4 Games
- 18x World Champion
- Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year (2004, 2010)
Hungarian Athletes