(2016 ☆ ARCHIVED) Nadezhda Makarchenko - Belarus

NADEZHDA MAKARCHENKO (Belarus) - 2016 Nominee for 'Sports Junior' of the year award.

Born: 1998, Sport: Canoe Sprint (C1 & C1), Represents: Belarus
2016: Gold C1 200, C2 200, C2 500 Junior World Championships, Belarus
2015: Gold C1 200, C2 200, Silver C1 500 Junior World Championships, Portugal
2014: Silver U23 C2 500 U23 World Championships, Hungary.

In front of a home crowd at the 2016 Junior World Championships, Nadezhda Makarchenko of Belarus claimed an extraordinary three gold medals in C1 200, C2 200 and C2 500, as she aims for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

18-year-old Makarchenko was the reigning champion in both 200m events, and the hot favorite coming into this regatta. With strong competition from France and Hungary in the C1 and Germany and Russia in the C2, Nadezhda and her partner Alena Nazdrova held their composure throughout each race, displaying strength and technique beyond their years.

In addition to her Junior World Championship successes, Nadezhda also won the C1 500 and placed second in the C1 200 and C2 200 at the Junior European Championships in Bulgaria. She also stepped up on to the senior stage at the European Championships in Russia to claim a gold medal in the C2 500 with her junior partner Alena Nazdrova.

With the International Canoe Federation approving the inclusion of female canoeing into the 2020 Olympic Games, and final endorsement from the International Olympic Committee pending, Nadezhda said her next major goal is to make history and win the first female canoeing Olympic gold medal.

As a result of her successes in 2016, Nadezhda Makarchenko has been nominated for ‘Sports Junior' of the year award. With less than four years until the expected debut of female canoeing at the Olympics, expect to see her name begin to regularly feature at a senior level.

This is a 2016 archived nominee. Voting has closed.