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Pavol Hochschorner

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Pavol Hochschorner
Hochschorner in 2011
Personal information
NationalitySlovak
Born (1979-09-07) 7 September 1979 (age 45)
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
Years active1996 - 2021
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
CountrySlovakia
SportCanoe slalom, Wildwater canoeing
EventC2
ClubŠKP Bratislava
Coached byPeter Hochschorner Sr.
Retired2021

Pavol Hochschorner (born 7 September 1979)[1] is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1996 to 2017. Competing together with his twin brother Peter Hochschorner, they are the most successful C2 paddlers in the history of canoe slalom. They retired from canoe slalom in 2018 after the C2 event was discontinued and subsequently switched to wildwater canoeing.[2] They retired from wildwater canoeing after the 2021 World Championships in their hometown Bratislava.[3]

Hochschorner won three Olympic gold medals in the C2 event, in 2000, 2004 and 2008 and one bronze medal in 2012.

He also won fourteen medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with six golds (C2: 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011; C2 team: 2009), four silvers (C2 team: 1999, 2011, 2013, 2014) and four bronzes (C2: 2003, 2006; C2 team: 2006, 2007).[4]

Hochschorner won the overall World Cup title 10 times (1999–2004, 2006–2008 and 2011) with his twin brother, which is a record in any category.

At the European Championships he won a total of 17 medals (11 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes).

Career

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The Hochschorner twins made their first appearance on the international stage at the 1996 World Junior Canoe Slalom Championships where they finished in 15th position in the C2 event and 5th in the C2 team event. One year later they won a silver medal in the C2 event at the 1997 European Junior Canoe Slalom Championships. That year they also made their debut at the senior World Championships, finishing in 23rd position.

They won their first senior medals at the 1998 European Championships, where they won the individual event and took silver in the team event. The following year brought even more success as they won 3 out of 5 World Cup races as well as the overall title. They also earned their first World Championship medal, a silver in the team event.

The Hochschorners defended their overall World Cup title in 2000 and came to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as favorites. They won the two-run qualifying round to advance to the final. In the first run of the final they took a 2 second penalty which relegated them to the 2nd place behind defending champions Frank Adisson/Wilfrid Forgues. They then produced the fastest time of the day on the second run to clinch their first Olympic gold.

In 2002 they won their first World Championship gold in Bourg Saint Maurice, winning the individual C2 event. They continued to dominate the World Cup scene by winning the overall title 6 years in a row between 1999 and 2004. Thus they came to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens not only as defending champion, but also as overwhelming favorites. They were able to defend their title after posting the fastest times in both qualifying runs as well as the semifinal and then maintaining their advantage in the final.

The Hochschorner brothers (Pavol in front) at the 2012 Summer Olympics

They had to wait until 2007 to win their second world title in Foz do Iguaçu. They completed their golden Olympic hattrick at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Once again they won the qualification, then finished 2nd in the semifinal run, but were able to move up to 1st position with their run in the final. This was followed by another 3 gold medals at the World Championships between 2009 and 2011, which meant they went unbeaten in 5 straight global championships between 2007 and 2011.

Their unbeaten streak ended at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where they were beaten by both British boats, but still came away with a bronze medal. This would be their last major individual medal, not just at the Olympics. Their individual medal count also includes 5 golds and 2 bronzes from World Championships and 6 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze from the European Championships.

They missed the 2016 Summer Olympics after losing the internal qualification battle to eventual champions Ladislav Škantár and Peter Škantár.

They finished their career holding several all-time records in the sport of canoe slalom including most Olympic golds (3), most World Cup titles (10), and most World Cup victories (30). The last two records have been broken by Jessica Fox.

Career statistics

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Major championships results timeline

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Event 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Olympic Games C2 Not held 1 Not held 1 Not held 1 Not held 3 Not held Not held
World Championships C2 23 Not held 15 Not held 1 3 Not held 11 3 1 Not held 1 1 1 Not held 19 17 12 Not held 10
C2 team Not held 2 Not held 6 6 Not held 3 3 Not held 1 4 2 Not held 2 2 6 Not held 3[a]
European Championships C2 Not held 1 Not held 1 Not held 1 Not held 20 2 3 1 1 7 1 2 7 4 9 9 18
C2 team Not held 2 Not held 2[a] Not held 1 Not held 1 5 6 3 6 5 3 6 4 1 1 1 4
  1. ^ a b Not a medal event due to low number of participating nations

World Cup individual podiums

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1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
C2 30 11 3 44
Season Date Venue Position Event
1999 20 June 1999 Tacen 2nd C2
15 August 1999 Bratislava 1st C2
22 August 1999 Augsburg 1st C2
3 October 1999 Penrith 1st C2
2000 9 July 2000 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C2
23 July 2000 Prague 1st C2
30 July 2000 Augsburg 2nd C2
2001 27 May 2001 Goumois 1st C2
3 June 2001 Merano 1st C2
5 August 2001 Prague 3rd C2
9 September 2001 Wausau 1st C2
2002 26 May 2002 Guangzhou 1st C2
20 July 2002 Augsburg 1st C2
14 September 2002 Tibagi 1st C2
2003 6 July 2003 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C2
13 July 2003 Tacen 2nd C2
31 July 2003 Bratislava 1st C2
3 August 2003 Bratislava 1st C2
2004 23 May 2004 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C2
30 May 2004 Merano 1st C2
11 July 2004 Prague 1st C2
25 July 2004 Bourg St.-Maurice 2nd C2
2005 10 July 2005 Athens 2nd C2
24 July 2005 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C2
2006 28 May 2006 Athens 1st C2
2 July 2006 L'Argentière-la-Bessée 2nd C21
5 August 2006 Prague 3rd C22
2007 18 March 2007 Foz do Iguaçu 2nd C23
1 July 2007 Prague 1st C2
8 July 2007 Tacen 1st C2
14 July 2007 Augsburg 1st C2
2008 16 March 2008 Penrith 2nd C24
29 June 2008 Tacen 1st C2
5 July 2008 Augsburg 1st C2
2009 5 July 2009 Bratislava 1st C2
11 July 2009 Augsburg 2nd C2
2010 21 February 2010 Penrith 2nd C25
19 June 2010 Prague 2nd C2
2011 26 June 2011 Tacen 1st C2
10 July 2011 Markkleeberg 1st C2
2012 10 June 2012 Cardiff 3rd C2
2013 23 June 2013 Cardiff 1st C2
25 August 2013 Bratislava 1st C2
2015 5 July 2015 Liptovský Mikuláš 1st C2
1 European Championship counting for World Cup points
2 World Championship counting for World Cup points
3 Pan American Championship counting for World Cup points
4 Oceania Championship counting for World Cup points
5 Oceania Canoe Slalom Open counting for World Cup points

Personal life

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He lives in Čunovo, a borough of the Slovak capital Bratislava.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pavol Hochschorner". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Hochschornerovci a Škantárovci nekončia, vodný slalom vymenia za šprint". Sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Bratia Hochschornerovci sa v šprinte rozlúčili s kariérou". Sport.aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Pavol HOCHSCHORNER (SVK)". CanoeSlalom.net. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Sportsperson of Slovakia
2009
with Peter Hochschorner
Succeeded by
Preceded by Sportsperson of Slovakia
2011
with Peter Hochschorner
Succeeded by