Dana Chladek

Dana Chladek (born Dana Chládková on December 27, 1963) is a Czechoslovak-born American (she was born in Czechoslovakia, but emigrated to the United States with her parents in 1968) Canoe Slalom athlete who competed from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she won two medals in the K-1 event with a silver in 1996 and a bronze in 1992.

Chladek also won six medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with four silvers (K-1: 1989, 1991; K-1 team: 1989, 1993) and two bronzes (K-1 team: 1987, 1991). In 1988 she won the inaugural edition of the World Cup series.

Currently, Dana is a coach and race director for the Potomac Whitewater Racing Club. Chladek and her team of coaches oversee whitewater training programs for young people who are intent on pursuing high levels of excellence, including Olympic and World Cup level competition. Chladek’s program is based on the Potomac River in the Washington D.C. area. Recently, her youngest daughter, Maya, made the 2015 U.S. Junior National Team in K1.