Martina Satkova

DOB: August 23th, 1998
Natural habitat: Canoe Slalom C1/Wildwater C1 and K1
Nationality: CZE
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Career Highlights:
+4 gold medals Senior World Championship in downriver Switzerland 2018
+5 gold medals U23 European Championship in downriver Macedonia 2018
+ 2nd place Senior World Championship sprint C1 Pau 2017
+1st place European Championship U23 slalom team C1 Hohenlimburg 2017
+4th place Junior World Championship slalom Krakow 2016
+6th place Senior World Championship Deep Creek 2014
+1st place Junior European Championship 2014
+2nd place Junior World Championship slalom Sydney 2014
+2nd place YOG Nanjing 
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Where and when did you start paddling? 
"I started paddling when I was 8 years in my home club Kanoe Klub Spoj Brno where I was a member for 10 years. Recently, I joined army club Dukla Brandys and I now live and train in Prague. I used to dance before I started paddling. Then my brother Adam joined the canoeing club and after one year of watching him on the river I decided to try that too. Since then, I paddle every day with never ending motivation to beat the world."
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Why are you doing this sport? 
"I paddle because it makes me happy. I really love sports in general and canoeing gives me everyday pleasure, experiences and happiness. I need to feel satisfied, healthy and happy. I've met hundreds of paddlers from all over the world and all of them are my friends because we share great sport activity and we are on the same wave."
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What is your favorite spot to paddle?
"Czech rivers at Lipno and Spindleruv Mlyn because both of them are natural rivers and that's what I always like the most. As far as the courses abroad I really like Australian Penrith (I won there my first big medal), Ivrea (their slalom course and ice cream are so good:)) and Liptovsky Mikulas where I had my first training camp in my life and also because Slovakia is my favorite country."
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What was your best experience on the river?
"My professional career started in 2014 when I became Vice World Champion and European Champion in category C1 juniors. Since then I started to focus more and more on canoeing and my sporting life. My biggest wildwater experience began in 2015 when I won my first senior medal. All the next years were incredibly perfect and unforgettable but right now I am so proud of my 2018 wildwater gold season. Anyway, the best experience in my life is that time I started paddling. I consider it being the best decision of my life. Every training camp and every championship writes another list of my story."
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What are your goals and plans for the future?
"It would be awesome to inspire someone and show how canoeing can completely change your life. I wish I won a lot of individual medals in slalom senior category and my biggest dream is to get to the Olympics."
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What is the best part of training and what is the worst? 
"I really love endurance sessions, they are my most favorite. I always enjoy sessions full of fun and hard work at the same time. Good coach and great training group are the most important factors to become a good paddler. The best time of the year is always when we are abroad and we are exploring new courses.
And the worst? When I train alone with no motivation. But I am so happy that I've experienced that only a few times and I have great sessions most of the times."
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Is it an advantage to compete in more disciplines? 
"It's great to race in more categories! I think that from each category you get small pieces of experiences you really need to get to gain better feeling of water. I compete in two categories and two disciplines. Changing slalom and wildwater boats is quite challenging but I am used to do it now. Slalom training gives me more fun and I am enjoying this sessions more. Not many paddlers are enjoying flat water sessions and I am not an exception. Thanks to slalom I have very good conditions, flexibility and power. Thanks to wildwater disciplines I have much better endurance than my colleagues. Changing categories helps me to be flexible and I don't really care about the length of our race in slalom. And sometimes it is hard to be focused only on slalom so I can just easily change my boat and relax my mind. In wildwater you usually can show how much you train and how strong you are but slalom races depend on more factors like weather, course, judges, luck, etc..
 
And finally, because of competing in more disciplines I have so many friends from all over the world and I am so happy when friends from slalom cheer for me during wildwater race and vise versa when wildwater friends cheer for me in slalom race."

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Who has influenced you the most in kayaking? 
"On the first place stands my brother because of him I started to paddle. Then my coach from my home club and Jess Fox who is showing us how much we have to work and how much is our work useful. She does both K1 and C1 and it motivates me to be like her."
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Who is the best kayaker in the world?
"I think the best paddlers in women category are Jessica Fox and Richarda Funk. They are just incredibly fast and their style is amazing. In men category I really like Mike Dawson, Peter Kauzer and Matej Benus. I really appreciate Matej Benus. I like his paddling style and the fact he races in slalom and wildwater as I do. He managed to won medal in slalom and wildwater competition in the same season."

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Who do you like to follow on IG the most and why? 
"Jess Fox is always funny. She posts her daily moments like her coffee art, her sessions and interesting funny moments. And I also like to follow Mike Dawson because of his traveling and whitewater experiences."
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Contact: facebook, @martinasatkova