Róbert Erban

Róbert Erban (born 9 July 1972 in Piešťany) is a Slovakian flatwater canoer and current (2006) world champion in the kayak K4 500m.

A regular finalist at world and European championships since the early nineties Erban competed in three Olympic Games (1992,1996 and 2000) and was unlucky to finish in fourth place twice.

He won a bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships in the old K2 10,000m event with partner Juraj Kadnar but it was not until the 2000 European Championships that he won another major medal (K4 500 m).

The following year, however, he lost his place in Slovakia's K4 boat and could only watch as the K4 crew went on to win five world and four European gold medals without him. He did win a European silver medal in 2002 (in the K2 1000m again with Kadnar) but it seemed that Erban was destined never to win a major title.

In 2005, however, he was recalled to the K4, replacing Juraj Bača. At the age of thirty-two he began a belated run of success, winning seven medals over the next two years. At the 2005 European Championships in Poznań, Poland he won his first-ever gold medal in the K4 1000m and also took the silver in the K4 500m. At the World Championships he won two silver medals (K4 500m and 1000m).

2006 proved even better. Slovakia retained their European 1000m title and then won a second gold in the 500m final the next day. They then secured victory at the 2006 Flatwater Racing World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, to give Erban the first world title of his long career.

Erban is a member of the ŠKP club in Bratislava. He is 188cm (6'2") tall and weighs 85kg (187 lbs).