Milan Djenadic
Encyclopedia
Milan Djenadić is a Serbia
n sprint canoer
who won two medals in the K-4 200 m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold in 2006 and a silver in 2007
Djenadić comes from a family of kayakers and took up the sport at the age of nine. He was national K-2 200 m champion as an eighteen-year-old in 1997 (with partner Marko Petrović), The following year he became the father of twins. With a young family to support and no grants on offer for paddlers outside the national squad, Djenadić started working full-time at a petrol station in Šabac. He continued paddling at club level but in 2000 he decided he could no longer combine work and training. In 2003 however he took up canoeing again, at first on a semi-recreational basis but soon found he was training seriously again. In 2004 he came fourth in the K1 200m for his club KK Zorka-Boje at the Serbian club championships. In 2005 he was a member of the Zorka-Boje crew which won the K4 500m final. But it was his second place in the K1 200m which finally brought him to the national team selectors' notice.
2006 proved to be an extraordinary year for Djenadić. Now at last a member of the national squad, he was still working at the petrol station but was now eligible for a €2,000 training allowance. Djenadić and Bora Sibinkić
were chosen to join up with reigning K-2 200 m world champions Ognjen Filipović
and Dragan Zorić
to form a new specialist K-4 200 m crew. Meanwhile, he made his first appearance for Serbia in international competition at the 2006 European Championships in Račice
, Czech Republic, finishing in 11th place in the K1 200m.
As a club paddler Djenadić had always pushed himself hard in training and this foundation enabled him to adapt to the relentless training regime of world champions Filipović and Zorić, clocking up between 20 and 40 km per day. In July, in a trial race in Bačka Palanka
, the new four defeated the number one crew of Šoti
/ Stanojević / Ilić / Našagaćin, who had reached the K4 200m final at Račice. This earned them the right to represent Serbia at the 2006 Flatwater Racing World Championships
in Szeged
, Hungary.
In Szeged, Djenadić and his new teammates won the gold medal at the first attempt, ahead of the host nation (and defending champions) Hungary. With two world champions on board confidence had been high but Djenadić seemed stunned at the finish, not quite able to believe they had won until he saw his teammates celebrating. Their winning time of 29.965 was the fastest ever in a world championship final.
A week later, after an unaccustomed round of press and TV interviews, he won two gold medals (K-4 200 m and K-4 500 m) and one silver (K-1 200 m) for his club, KK Zorka-Boje, at the 2006 Serbian national club championships.
The Szeged gold medal came with a share of the €120,000 prize money - a worthy reward for the long-time club paddler who then set his sights on the Beijing Olympics
though he did not qualify.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who won two medals in the K-4 200 m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold in 2006 and a silver in 2007
Djenadić comes from a family of kayakers and took up the sport at the age of nine. He was national K-2 200 m champion as an eighteen-year-old in 1997 (with partner Marko Petrović), The following year he became the father of twins. With a young family to support and no grants on offer for paddlers outside the national squad, Djenadić started working full-time at a petrol station in Šabac. He continued paddling at club level but in 2000 he decided he could no longer combine work and training. In 2003 however he took up canoeing again, at first on a semi-recreational basis but soon found he was training seriously again. In 2004 he came fourth in the K1 200m for his club KK Zorka-Boje at the Serbian club championships. In 2005 he was a member of the Zorka-Boje crew which won the K4 500m final. But it was his second place in the K1 200m which finally brought him to the national team selectors' notice.
2006 proved to be an extraordinary year for Djenadić. Now at last a member of the national squad, he was still working at the petrol station but was now eligible for a €2,000 training allowance. Djenadić and Bora Sibinkić
Bora Sibinkic
Bora Sibinkic is a Serbian sprint canoer who has competed since the late first decade of the 21st century. He won two medals in the K-4 200 m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold in 2006 and a bronze in 2007....
were chosen to join up with reigning K-2 200 m world champions Ognjen Filipović
Ognjen Filipovic
Ognjen Filipović is a Yugoslav-born sprint canoer who later competed for Serbia and Montenegro and later Serbia...
and Dragan Zorić
Dragan Zoric
Dragan Zorić is a Serbian sprint canoer who has competed from the late 1990s to 2007. Until 2006, he competed for Serbia and Montenegro...
to form a new specialist K-4 200 m crew. Meanwhile, he made his first appearance for Serbia in international competition at the 2006 European Championships in Račice
Racice
Račice is a village in Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic. It is located 8 km northeast of Roudnice nad Labem or 41 km north of Prague and has a population of 308. It is the major rowing and flatwater canoeing venue in the Czech Republic. Račice hosted the 1993 World Rowing...
, Czech Republic, finishing in 11th place in the K1 200m.
As a club paddler Djenadić had always pushed himself hard in training and this foundation enabled him to adapt to the relentless training regime of world champions Filipović and Zorić, clocking up between 20 and 40 km per day. In July, in a trial race in Bačka Palanka
Backa Palanka
Bačka Palanka is a city and municipality located in Serbia, on left bank of the Danube, at 45.15° North, 19.24° East...
, the new four defeated the number one crew of Šoti
Jozef Soti
Jozef Soti is a Yugoslav sprint canoer who competed in the early 2000s. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he finished ninth in the K-4 1000 m event.-References:*...
/ Stanojević / Ilić / Našagaćin, who had reached the K4 200m final at Račice. This earned them the right to represent Serbia at the 2006 Flatwater Racing World Championships
2006 Flatwater Racing World Championships
The 2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary, from August 17 to 20 2006. This was the second time the Hungarian city had hosted the championships, doing so previously in 1998....
in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary.
In Szeged, Djenadić and his new teammates won the gold medal at the first attempt, ahead of the host nation (and defending champions) Hungary. With two world champions on board confidence had been high but Djenadić seemed stunned at the finish, not quite able to believe they had won until he saw his teammates celebrating. Their winning time of 29.965 was the fastest ever in a world championship final.
A week later, after an unaccustomed round of press and TV interviews, he won two gold medals (K-4 200 m and K-4 500 m) and one silver (K-1 200 m) for his club, KK Zorka-Boje, at the 2006 Serbian national club championships.
The Szeged gold medal came with a share of the €120,000 prize money - a worthy reward for the long-time club paddler who then set his sights on the Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
though he did not qualify.