Slovak Gold-panners Bring Home 9 Medals and 2 Championship Titles from Spain

Prievidza/Navelgas, 12 August (TASR) - Slovak gold-panners brought nine medals and two championship titles back from the World Gold Panning Championship held in Navelgas, Spain in August, TASR was told by head of the Slovak Gold-panning Association (SAZ) Frantisek Kuffer. Daniela Muckova became the world champion in the Traditional Pan (Chinese hat) category, which involved more than 550 gold-panners from 23 countries. In the Veterans category, Frantisek Kuffer managed to defend his title from last year. "The silver medal won by a 15-year-old gold-panner Sofia Adamcova in the most prestigious category of Proficient Women was a remarkable achievement," said the SAZ president. Competing in the two-person teams category, Frantisek Kuffer and Janka Kufferova won another silver medal, and also added a bronze in the less traditional night panning for gold event. "In the two-person category, our team of Dusan Kovac and Simon Jakus made it to the final round. Simon is a disabled athlete, known by many as Wolfi from the 'Danube, at your service' TV series," said Kuffer. The participation of Slovakia's 19-member team in the World Gold Panning Championship was financially supported by the Tourism and Sport Ministry. jrg/df/am