Žiga Lin
Hočevar
Slovenia
·
Canoeing
Date of birth | 23 June 2007 |
|---|---|
Age | 18 |
Nationality | Slovenia |
Disciplines | Canoe Slalom |
Žiga Lin Hočevar is already a junior European and world champion in both canoe and kayak. In May 2024, he became the youngest canoeist ever to win the senior European Championship, held in Tacen. At the same event, he also claimed the European team title alongside Benjamin Savšek and Luka Božič. Just a month later, in June, he secured his first World Cup victory in Augsburg, Germany, and went on to finish the season ranked second overall.
Žiga Lin is the son of former top Slovenian canoeist Simon Hočevar and first sat in a canoe at the age of three. Despite pursuing ice hockey for nine years – during which he won two national championships as a goalkeeper with the youth teams of HK Olimpija – his passion for wildwater canoeing never faded. In 2019, he decided to fully dedicate himself to canoeing. His older sister, Eva Alina, also played a key role in this choice. She frequently attended his competitions and was captivated by the competitive spirit of canoe slalom.