Where are they now - Iztok Cop

Iztok Cop, from Slovenia, is a four-time Olympic medallist, including an Olympic gold from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. His career spanned more than 20 years until he retired from the sport in 2012. World Rowing caught up with him to see what he is doing now.

If you walk around an international rowing event, you will probably see Cop. Since his retirement from rowing, he has worked for Filippi in the rowing-specific role of Sports Director.

In the beginning, Cop’s main task was to try to get more top athletes to use Filippi boats. It was successful. He estimates that now about 65% of top athletes are rowing in Filippi boats, and so his main task has shifted.

“Now I am more focused on after-sale support, to be the connection between top athletes and the company,” Cop says. “I try to solve issues and help them with rigging, settings and choosing the right boat.”

But working for Filippi is just one of Cop’s jobs. He is also a Concept2 dealer for Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. And he is working on setting up a showroom for fitness equipment that doubles as a small fitness center.

“I have my own company, so this is what keeps me occupied,” he says. “Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, the home gym equipment sales went up, so I am quite busy. I still have the administrative work to do, there is a lot of catch up from what I missed during the rowing season from July to September.”

Despite his entrepreneurial nature, and running three different small businesses, Cop still manages to stay fit as much as possible, even if it’s not in the rowing boat.

“I try to work out a couple of times a week at least,” he says. “Unfortunately, the ergometer is my workout equipment more than anything else. It’s in the house, so if I have time, I just jump on it. Or indoor cycling. In the summer, when I have more time, I like to ride my bike outside.”

Cop’s bike rides take him through the stunning landscape near the well-known rowing course in Bled, Slovenia where he lives. He also participates in the local sport community as the President of Bled Rowing Club. However, the past two years have been extremely tough for the club.

“In our club, funding depends on running the rowing centre and organising events in Bled. We’ve been unable to organise anything for the last two years and our club is really struggling,” Cop explains. “My belief is that parents should not be covering too much of the club’s budget. So, we have a pretty symbolic training fee. That is the last thing that we would change, so we are looking for other funding.”

It is Iztok Cop’s belief that rowing, and all sport, should remain accessible for all children, regardless of if their parents can afford it. Cop calls it an investment in the future.

“I see sport, not just as trying to develop top athletes, but it’s a good, healthy activity for kids. I think coaches are building healthy personalities. We, as coaches, are taking care of the future generation, of a healthy future generation,” he says passionately.

This topic is also close to Cop’s heart through his two daughters, who are now 16 and 18. He always supported their participation in sport. Every year, he says they were allowed to choose a sport at the beginning of the school year, but they had to stick with it until the end of the school year. They tried everything when they were little, but when his oldest daughter was 12, she chose rowing. And Cop’s reaction might surprise you.

“I was not very excited about it,” he says. “I was afraid that I might see things that I didn’t agree with. In other sports, I had no idea, so I didn’t interfere. And I was afraid that they would be under pressure because of the family name. Or if they did well, that people would say their father arranged something.”

But his oldest daughter has now been rowing for six years and has recently seen some international success. Iztok Cop says that he is starting to get used to it.

“I am more comfortable,” he says. “I am just happy that they are taking it seriously. They follow the training plan and are serious about it. I think it also pushes them in school because they are aware if they are not successful in school, the rowing would be the first thing to go. And, I haven’t interfered yet,” he adds laughing.

And although Iztok Cop says he would never tell this to his daughters, he does have some advice for the next generation of rowers.

“I think it was important that when I grew up that my sport buddies and I didn’t live ‘the sport life’. We did go to parties. But every day at eight am we were in the boat, or at school, we never skipped that. But I think you have to live in the stage of life that you’re in. You have to find balance, because if you miss something, that will chase you.”

He stops for a second and adds, “If you start having puberty at the age of 30 and you figure out what you missed and try to do it 10 years later, it just doesn’t fit. I think you have to be aware what is important, to have priorities in your life, but don’t forget about your friends and the good times.”