Michal Martikán is a Slovak slalom canoeist who has been competing at the international level since 1994. In 1996 he became the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Slovakia since the country gained independence in 1993. In total he won 5 Olympic medals, which is the most among all slalom paddlers. He has also won the World Championship title in the C1 individual category four times.
Marcus Becker is a German slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1996 to 2011. He won a silver medal in the C2 event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Ondřej Štěpánek is a Czech slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1994 to 2013. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won two medals in the C2 event with a silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2004.
Jaroslav Volf is a Czech slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1994 to 2013. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won two medals in the C2 event with a silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2004.
Tomáš Máder is a Czech slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1992 to 2009.
Pavol Hochschorner is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1996 to 2017. Competing together with his twin brother Peter Hochschorner, they are the most successful C2 paddlers in the history of canoe slalom. They retired from canoe slalom in 2018 after the C2 event was discontinued and subsequently switched to wildwater canoeing. They retired from wildwater canoeing after the 2021 World Championships in their hometown Bratislava.
Tony Estanguet is a French slalom canoeist and a three-time Olympic champion in C1. He competed at the international level from 1994 to 2012.
Elena Kaliská is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1988 to 2019. She specialized in the K1 event, which was the only discipline available for women during the vast majority of her career.
David Florence is a retired British slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1999 to 2021. He is the 2013 and 2015 world champion in individual single canoe (C1) and 2013 champion in double canoe (C2), the latter with Richard Hounslow. Florence was the first canoeist since Charles Dussuet, sixty years earlier, to achieve the C1, C2 double at the same World Championships.
Stanislav Ježek is a Czech slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 1994.
Vavřinec Hradilek is a Czech slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2003.
Peter Kauzer is a Slovenian slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 1999.
Fabien Lefèvre is a French slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 1998. As a permanent resident of the United States, he has competed for his country of residence since 2013. He represented France until 2011. He won two medals at the Summer Olympics in the K1 event with a silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2004. He has a son called Noe Lefèvre.
The 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held on 9–13 September 2009 at Parc Olímpic del Segre in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. It was the 32nd edition. La Seu d'Urgell hosted the event previously in 1999. A demonstration event for women's single canoe (C1W) took place that was swept by Australia. Slovakia was the top medal winner with six, including three golds. Germany and Great Britain each won four medals with a gold medal each. Host nation Spain won their first medals ever at the championships with four.
Nicolas Peschier is a French slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1999 to 2016. In the early part of his career he was specializing on the C1 class. He also competed in the C2 class from 2011 to 2015 together with Pierre Labarelle.
Jana Dukátová is a Slovak retired slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1999 to 2021. She specialized in the K1 event for most of her career, although she was also one of the pioneers of the women's C1 discipline, becoming the first ever world champion. She stopped competing in C1 after 2010.
Denis Gargaud Chanut is a French slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level in C1 since 2004. Between 2009 and 2011 he also competed in the C2 category alongside Fabien Lefèvre. He won a gold medal in the C1 event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Ladislav Škantár is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1998 to 2018, specializing in the C2 discipline, where he teamed up with his cousin Peter Škantár.
Peter Škantár is a retired Slovak slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1998 to 2018, specializing in the C2 discipline, where he teamed up with his cousin Ladislav Škantár.
Gauthier Klauss is former French slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 2003 to 2018, when the C2 category was removed from major events.
