{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{short description|Slovak para table tennis player and wheelchair curler}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Alena Kánová | image = Alena Kanova (Slovakia).jpg | image_size = | caption = Kánová in 2015 | full_name = | nickname = | national_team = Slovakia | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|3|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovakia | hometown = | education = | alma_mater = | height = | weight = | country = Slovakia | sport = Table tennis, Wheelchair curling | disability = | disability_class = Class 3 | event = | club = | coach = | pb = | retired = | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Women's table tennis}} {{Medal|Country|{{SVK}}}} {{Medal|Competition|Paralympic Games}} {{Medal|Gold|2000 Sydney|Individual class 3}} {{Medal|Silver|2008 Beijing|Individual class 3}} {{Medal|Silver|2020 Tokyo|Individual class 3}} {{Medal|Bronze|2004 Athens|Individual class 3}} {{Medal|Bronze|2012 London|Individual class 3}} }}

'''Alena Kánová''' (born 29 March 1980)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://db.ipc-services.org/hira/results-books/open/book/41 |title=Athens 2004 Paralympic Games - Table Tennis - Official Results Book |website=ipc-services.org |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |date=19 September 2004}}</ref> is a Slovak table tennis player who has played at the Summer Paralympics for her country, winning gold at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, and silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Table Tennis: KANOVA, Alena |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/table-tennis/athlete-profile-n1720074-kanova-alena.htm |access-date=15 September 2021 |url-status=dead |work=Tokyo 2020 Paralympics |publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |language=en-us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829143326/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/table-tennis/athlete-profile-n1720074-kanova-alena.htm |archive-date=29 August 2021}}</ref> She also competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in wheelchair curling.

==Career== Alena Kánová was born on 29 March 1980 in Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). At the age of 14, she was paralysed following a road accident and has used a wheelchair since. After the accident, she attended the Slovakian National Rehabilitation Center for a year, before returning to school. She tried several sports, but focused on table tennis as she had a table at home on which she could practice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alena Kánová - Nad vozíkom už nepremýšľam |date=16 August 2016 |url=http://www.inakobdareni.sk/rubriky/category/aj-tak-sa-to-da/article/alena-kanova.xhtml |publisher=Inak Obdareni |accessdate=1 November 2017 |language=Slovak}}</ref>

Kánová competed in her first Summer Paralympics at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, where she won the gold medal in the individual class 3 tournament. She continued to compete at successive Paralympic Games, winning a bronze in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and a silver at the Beijing Games in 2008. Her most recent medal came at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, when she defeated Welsh athlete Sara Head in the bronze medal match and won her nation's first medal of the competition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alena Kánová získala v Londýne prvú slovenskú medailu! |url=https://sport.aktuality.sk/c/136630/alena-kanova-ziskala-v-londyne-prvu-slovensku-medailu/ |publisher=Sport.sk |accessdate=1 November 2017 |date=3 September 2012 |language=Slovak}}</ref> She does not keep her Paralympic medals, instead giving them away to those who have helped her compete.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paralympionička Kánová všetky medaily darovala |url=http://www.pluska.sk/plus-7-dni/ludia/paralympionicka-kanova-vsetky-medaily-darovala.html |accessdate=1 November 2017 |work=Plus 7 DNI |date=5 January 2013 |language=Slovak}}</ref>

Outside of table tennis, she also competes in wheelchair curling, making the Paralympic team for the Winter Paralympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paralympijské hry Soči 2014 – Alena Kánová |url=http://slovensko.rtvs.sk/clanky/sport/20866/paralympijske-hry-soci-2014-alena-kanova |accessdate=1 November 2017 |work=RTV |date=6 March 2014 |language=Slovak}}</ref>

==Wheelchair curling teams and events== {| class="wikitable" |- ! scope="col" width=60| Season ! scope="col"| Skip ! scope="col"| Third ! scope="col"| Second ! scope="col"| Lead ! scope="col"| Alternate ! scope="col"| Coach ! scope="col"| Events |- ! scope="row"| 2008–09 | Radoslav Ďuriš || Dušan Pitoňák || Branislav Jakubec || Alena Kánová || Imrich Lyócsa || Pavol Pitoňák || WWhCQ 2008 (10th) |- ! scope="row"| 2010–11 | Radoslav Ďuriš || Dušan Pitoňák || Branislav Jakubec || Alena Kánová || Monika Kunkelová || František Pitoňák || WWhCQ 2010 (6th) |- ! scope="row"| 2011–12 | Radoslav Ďuriš || Branislav Jakubec || Dušan Pitoňák || Monika Kunkelová || Alena Kánová || František Pitoňák || {{WWhCC|2012|WWhCC 2012}} (4th) |- ! scope="row"| 2012–13 | Radoslav Ďuriš || Branislav Jakubec || Dušan Pitoňák || Monika Kunkelová || Alena Kánová || František Pitoňák || {{WWhCC|2013|WWhCC 2013}} (7th) |- ! scope="row"| 2013–14 | Radoslav Ďuriš || Branislav Jakubec || Dušan Pitoňák || Monika Kunkelová || Alena Kánová || František Pitoňák || WPG 2014 (6th) |}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{ITTF PTT|1713|Alena Kanova}} * {{World Curling|5407|Alena Kánová}} * {{World Curling|6592|Alena Kanova}} * {{IPC profile|alena-kanova|Alena Kanova}} * {{SPV profile|kanova-alena|Alena Kánová}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140319225921/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/paralympic/athlete-alena-kanova Alena Kanova] at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics (archived) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20220314191611/https://results.beijing2022.cn/beijing-2022/paralympic-games/en/results/wheelchair-curling/athlete-profile-n1076367-alena-kanova.htm Alena Kanova] at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics (archived)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanova, Alena}} Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Slovak female curlers Category:Slovak female table tennis players Category:Slovak wheelchair curlers Category:Paralympic table tennis players for Slovakia Category:Paralympic wheelchair curlers for Slovakia Category:Paralympic gold medalists for Slovakia Category:Paralympic silver medalists for Slovakia Category:Paralympic bronze medalists for Slovakia Category:Paralympic medalists in table tennis Category:Table tennis players at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Category:Table tennis players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Category:Table tennis players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Category:Table tennis players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Category:Table tennis players at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Category:Table tennis players at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Category:Wheelchair curlers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Category:Wheelchair curlers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Category:People with paraplegia Category:Sportspeople from Liptovský Mikuláš