Natasa Dusev-Janics

Nataša Janić was born to Serbian-Croatian parents, and her father Milan Janić won silver at the 1984 Olympics in kayak. She won her first medal at the 2000 European Junior Championships with gold in K-1 500. Her first Olympic participation in the same year, still only 18-years-old, ended with a fourth place in the K-1 500, as she represented Serbia and Montenegro. After changing her nationality to Hungary, and now competing under the name Natasa Janics, she won her first medals in 2002 with silver in K-4 200 at the European Championships and gold in the same event at the World Championships. After winning another gold medal at the 2003 Worlds (in K-4 1000) she paired with Katalin Kovács for the 2004 Olympics. After winning gold in the K-1 500 Janics also won gold with Kovács in the K-2 500 only one hour later.

At the next two World Championships Kovács and Janics won three gold medals in 2005 and six gold medals in 2006, all in K-2 or K-4 events. At the 2006 European Championships they also won six golds in K-2 and K-4 events, in the 200 m, 500 m, and 1000 m. They did not compete together at the 2007 Worlds but paired again for the 2008 Olympics. In Beijing they successfully defended their K-2 500 m title and were also members of the silver medal winning K-4 500 m team. At the following two Worlds Janics won three gold and two silver in 2009 and 2010. In total she has collected 18 gold and 4 silver medals at the World Championships and 15 gold and 4 silvers at the European Championships.

Janics married her long-time boyfriend Szilárd Csányi in September 2009 only to be divorced in 2010. In December 2010 she married Olympic bronze medalist Andrian Dushev. Janics did not compete in major events in 2011 due to pregnancy, and the couple named the girl Milana after Janics’ father, who died in 2003.