(2017 ☆ ARCHIVED) Peter Kauzer Senior - Slovenia

PETER KAUZER SENIOR (Slovenia) - Nominee for the 2017 Foundation Award

Born: 1957, sport: canoe slalom, represents: Slovenia

Peter Kauzer Senior and his son have formed an almost unstoppable team, with Peter Kauzer Junior being regarded as one of the best and technically most skilled canoe slalom paddlers of all times. The pair are true role models for many young canoe slalom paddlers showing them that through hard work and persistence the results will come. With the only medal missing from their collection being the Olympic gold, they are already eyeing it off in Tokyo in a few years time. 

Peter Junior won his first senior medal at the European Canoe Slalom Championships in 2005, where he won a silver medal. Since then he has become one of the most consistent paddlers internationally. In 2009 and 2011 he won individual World Championship titles and in 2017 he picked up a bronze medal. In 2005 and 2017 he also won medals in the team events at the World Championships and in 2009, 2011 and 2015 he was the overall World Cup winner. The biggest success came in 2016 when he won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, in his third Olympic attempt. 

An important and irreplaceble part of all of these excellent results was his father and coach – Peter Kauzer Senior. 

Peter Kauzer Senior competed at three World Championships for the national team of Yugoslavia and although never achieved the results his son has, he was still recognised as one of the best and fastest paddlers of his time. In 1977 he placed 5th at the World Championships and in 1979 at the World Championships he set the fastest time during the last official training run before the race. A time no athlete was able to beat throughout the whole competition. 

Soon after the end of his sporting career Peter Kauzer Senior started working as a coach in a local club in Hrastnik where he coached a group of young athletes. His son Peter, nephew Gregor Laznik, Aleksej Bočko, Branko Žagar and others were in this group of young, promising paddlers and they soon found their place as some of the best European paddlers in their age groups. Members of this group won medals at junior championships in canoe slalom and wildwater canoeing.

Peters main coaching strength lies in his ‘good eye’ for technique and wild water. He does not use a traditional coaching style, rather he likes to point athletes towards the right direction instead of directly telling them what to do. This forces his athletes to think for themselves which ensures they have a lot of self-discipline.

As a result of these achievements as a coach, Peter Kauzer is a worthy nominee for the Foundation Award. 

Awards for his coaching achievements

• Golden plaque for successful coaching work, awarded by Slovenian Olympic Committee
• Bronze plaque for many years of very successful coaching work, awarded by Canoe Federation of Slovenia

Athletes results
- Peter Kauzer (son) – 2016 Olympic Games – Silver K1M; 2009 and 2011 World Championships – Gold K1M; 2017 World Championships – Bronze K1M; 2010 European Championships – Gold K1M; 2009, 2011, 2015 Overall World Cup standings – Gold K1M; 2005 and 2007 European Championships – Silver K1M; 2005 and 2017 World Championships – Bronze 3xK1M; 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 European Championships – Gold 3xK1M; 2010 European Championships – Bronze 3xK1M.

- Gregor Laznik (nephew) – 1999 Junior European Canoe Slalom European Championships – Bronze K1M; 2000 Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships – Bronze medal 3xK1M; 2000 Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships – 4th place K1M; 1999 Junior Wildwater Canoeing European Championships – Gold 3xK1M

- Aleksej Bočko – 1999 Junior Wildwater Canoeing European Championships – Gold K1M;  1999 Junior Wildwater Canoeing European Championships – Gold 3xK1M; 1998 Junior Wildwater Canoeing World Championships – Silver 3xK1M

- Branko Žagar – 1998 Junior Wildwater Canoeing World Championships – Silver 3xK1M

- Janoš Peterlin – 2014 Canoe Slalom World Cup Lee Valley – 5th place K1M; 2016 Canoe Slalom World Cup Tacen – 6th place K1M; 2014 Canoe Slalom European Championships – 12th place K1M; 2003 Junior European Championships – 9th place K1M; 2006 U23 European Championships – 4th place 3xK1M; 2008 U23 European Championships – 11th place K1M

This is a 2017 archived nominee. Voting has closed.