Alexander Slafkovský

Alexander Slafkovský (born 11 March 1983) is a former Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1998 to 2023, specializing in the C1 event.

Slafkovský won 15 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with ten golds (C1 team: 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019), five silvers (C1: 2013, 2017, 2021, 2022, C1 team: 2022) and one bronze (C1 team: 2021).

At the European Championships he won a total of 22 medals (12 golds, 7 silvers and 3 bronzes), including a silver in the C1 team event at the 2023 European Games in Kraków. Slafkovský also won the overall World Cup title in the C1 class in 2012, 2016 and 2018. He finished the 2017 season as the World No. 1 in the C1 event.

In spite of being one of the top C1 paddlers of his generation, he has never competed at the Olympic Games, where during his career only one boat per country has been allowed to race in each discipline. First he was denied qualification by Michal Martikán in 2004. Due to an injury sustained while skiing, he missed most of the 2007 season, which prevented him from competing for a spot at the 2008 Games. He lost to Martikán again in the internal fight for the 2012 games and then to Matej Beňuš in the three subsequent cycles (2016, 2020 and 2024).

Slafkovský announced his retirement from the sport in 2024.

Personal life His father, who is also named Alexander, is a former mayor of Liptovský Mikuláš and his second cousin Juraj Slafkovský is an ice hockey player.

Career statistics

Major championships results timeline

World Cup individual podiums Total C1 8 13 7 28

SeasonDateVenuePositionEvent 2004 23 May 2004 La Seu d'Urgell 3rd C1 2005 26 June 2005 Tacen 2nd C11 2008 16 March 2008 Penrith 3rd C12 29 June 2008 Tacen 2nd C1 2009 28 June 2009 Pau 2nd C1 5 July 2009 Bratislava 2nd C1 2010 19 June 2010 Prague 3rd C1 2011 25 June 2011 Tacen 3rd C1 13 August 2011 Prague 1st C1 2012 9 June 2012 Cardiff 3rd C1 16 June 2012 Pau 3rd C1 25 August 2012 Prague 2nd C1 1 September 2012 Bratislava 1st C1 2013 29 June 2013 Augsburg 1st C1 2014 2 August 2014 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C1 2015 4 July 2015 Liptovský Mikuláš 2nd C1 2016 11 June 2016 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C1 18 June 2016 Pau 1st C1 10 September 2016 Tacen 2nd C1 2017 3 September 2017 Ivrea 2nd C1 10 September 2017 La Seu d'Urgell 2nd C1 2018 23 June 2018 Liptovský Mikuláš 2nd C1 30 June 2018 Kraków 2nd C1 7 July 2018 Augsburg 2nd C1 1 September 2018 Tacen 2nd C1 2019 29 June 2019 Tacen 3rd C1 31 August 2019 Markkleeberg 1st C1 2022 26 June 2022 Tacen 1st C1

1 European Championship counting for World Cup points 2 Oceania Championship counting for World Cup points