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Blaža Klemenčič

Since I was a little girl my life has been connected to sport. My childhood was impacted with bikes and skis. Skiing was my first sport and in the year 1989 I was a regional champion. In the year 1990 (I was just 10 years old) I started to train sport climbing and just a year later in 1991, I started to participate in my first competitions on a national level. I have trained sport climbing during the years 1990 and 1998. In that period I was two times national champion and a number of times second and third in the national championships. I was also two times on third on the podium in the general for European trophy in sports climbing. My biggest climbing sauces  was 4th place on world youth championships in 1997.

In the fall 1997 I started to train mountain biking besides sports climbing. On my first race for the Slovenian trophy in Cross country I managed to be on the 4th place, on the next race I was already 2nd. After the first year of hard training I've managed to get in the national team. In 1998  I was a a member of both national teams in Slovenia - sport climbing and mountain bike team. In the end of 1998 I had to chose only one sport due to hard pace in my school.

I've decided to go into mountain biking.

This is my 9th season so far and in that period I managed to succeed in many things that I'm proud of. I was the national champion in years 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005. My first big  international success was 3rd place on an UCI World  championships in MTB marathon 2005 Bad Goisern in Austria, in this year I was also an European champion in MTB marathon -Walbrzicht (Poland).

My most successful season 2005 I was 2nd on an CI World  championships in MTB marathon Lillehammer (Norway), 3rd on a European championships in MTB marathon Frammersbach (Germany) and managed to get my first victory in World cup marathon in St. Wendl (Germany). I was also successful in Cross country racing , 9th on European championships in Kluisberg (Belgium) and  13th on UCI World championships in Livigno (Italy).

One very beautiful moment in my life was defiantly in year 2004, when I participated in a time trail in the World road championships in Italy. With a borrowed bike and a few trainings just before the race I managed to be 22nd and just 1'30'' down. I've decided to put more attention for time trialing.

My biggest goal is the title of a World champion in few years time and a medal in the Olimpic games in 2008.

Blaža KLEMENČIČ