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Latvia
Latvia
In 2019 the Latvian Olympic Academy translated, supplemented and published the book "Canoe Professor", which analyzes the athletic experience and achievements of the Olympic canoeist Ivans Klementjevs and is based on the autobiography of "Iron Ivan". After all, since the restoration of Latvia's independence (1991), kayaking has participated in all the Olympic Games, with the most important example being Ivans Klementjevs, who brought two silver medals for Latvia from Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996, and also competed with the USSR in Seoul in 1988.Ivans Klementjevs is one of the most outstanding athletes in canoeing history, six times the world champion in the 1000 meters and once in the marathon in the 10 000 meters.The only rower to win five consecutive World Championships. He is known in the canoe society as "Iron Ivan" and "Professor".After 21 years in sports and after the Atlanta Olympics, Ivans Klementjevs decided to end his career as an athlete in three national teams: the USSR, Poland and Latvia.Following his retirement from sport, Ivans Klementjevs became involved in politics as a Member of Parliament and is currently on the board of the European Olympic Academies and the Latvian Olympians Club. He is President of the Latvian Sports Veterans Union, President of the Olympic Academy of Latvia, Member of the Board of the Latvian Charity Foundation for Sport Support and Chairman of the Olympic Forum.The book "Canoe Professor" is not only an amazing life story of a famous athlete, but also informative material on canoe development in Latvia and in the world.