MY STORY 
My name is Jan Kozamernik, a professional volleyball player and a BSc in Electrical Engineering. During Eurovolley 2019 in Ljubljana we wrote a magical story with the Slovenian National Team. In the Finals in Paris we won the second silver medal during the European Championships and set a new milestone for Slovenian team sports. I was awarded Best Middle Blocker of Eurovolley 2019. This amazing award not only confirmed years of hard work, but also represented new aspirations and a symbol of my drive for the future. I will keep working hard to make these magical moments possible for myself, my teammates, and Slovenia.
History
My story begins in 1995, the capital of Slovenia, where I was born. I have been passionate about sports ever since I was a child. During my early years I tried a variety of sports, before finally settling on volleyball.
As a child, I started my education at the Primary School of the National Hero Maks Pečar. The teachers there encouraged me and saw the potential of an athletic career. They saw early on how I had become successful in so many sports, my energy for all athletics was unmistakable. I initially began playing soccer, I left it after only a couple of years to begin athletics and gymnastics. I was rewarded for my decision and ended up winning medals at the National Championships. In the end I didn’t really love any of the sports enough to continue pursuing them beyond a few years.
In my free time I began to engage in more extreme sports, like skateboarding, skiing and windsurfing. I still enjoy these in my free time, but now I dial them back, solely for fun and relaxation.
SCHOOL & ACHIEVEMENTS
Despite balancing an active sports career, I never neglected my studies. Finishing something I started was always important to me, despite early athletic successes I knew I would successfully complete my education.
In April 2017 I finished my BSc in Electrical Engineering specialising in Power Engineering and Mechatronics at the University of Ljubljana. Feeling proud and grateful to finish with an average grade of 8.74.
I am most proud of being a co-recipient of the Bloudek award (the highest sporting award in Slovenia) that we, as the Men’s Volleyball National Team of Slovenia, received for an extraordinary international achievement in 2015.
I wanted to give a shoutout to my outstanding teammates that made this unforgettable achievement possible. This amazing group of individuals were named 2 times as the Slovenian Sports Team of the Year (2015 and 2019) by the Association of Sport Journalists of Slovenia.
ABOUT ME
I am often asked if I have a role model, truthfully I really don’t have one. What I do have is a vision. That is my belief and desire to become a better version of myself both as an athlete and as a person every single day. I believe that hard work, dedication, and kindness pay off.
Health means a lot to me, I obviously see it’s value on the court, but believe in incorporating a holistic view and embodiment of a healthy lifestyle 24/7. Values, such as family, dedication, sincerity, and trust are intangibles to me. I seek to live my life upholding and sharing these virtues, and love coming into contact with people who seek the same.
I deeply cherish my free time, coming from a professional athlete it may seem counterintuitive but truthfully, I do not have much of it. Traveling the world has long been a passion of mine, beginning when I was just a child. I had frequent adventures with my family, exploring and learning about a variety of new locations. As an adult it remains one of my favourite ways to spend my free time.
On trips, I always try to find time for some extreme sports like surfing or wakeboarding. I’ve also been dedicating a large amount of time to learning the sport of golf. I love the challenge, but also that playing means I get to spend time in nature. This is an amazing avenue for me to reconnect with nature which, with all the indoor practices during the season, I find so grounding.
Nature is a large part of my life, naturally being from Slovenia there are so many amazing opportunities and landscapes to explore. Luckily for me this passion for the outdoors is shared amongst my family members, even at a young age I accompanied my family and grandmother on trips into the mountains. I became very enthusiastic about climbing mountains, and have plans to check climbing the highest mountain in Slovenia, Triglav, off my bucket list in the near future.
One of my hidden talents is cooking. Ever since I began living on my own, I have fallen in love with it. I enjoy experimenting with new flavours and dishes on a daily basis. Currently my favourite dish is Teriyaki Salmon with rice and spinach, I love to cook this for friends. One of my favourite dishes after a long day of training is steak, I am always looking and learning how to prepare it in new and exciting ways.
Currently, one of my favorite books is Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.
My all time favorite movie is, The Shawshank Redemption, and favorite TV shows are Sherlock, Suits and Friends.
Things Work Out Best For Those Who Make The Best Of How Things Work Out.
John Wooden
ACHIEVEMENTS
YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM
2012
MEVZA U17 2012 (1.place)
2013
European Championship U18 (9.place)
Cornacchia World Cup Pordenone U19 (1.place)
2014
European Championship U20 (4.place)
2015
World Championship U21 (7. place)
Senior national team
2015
European League (1.place)
European Championship (2.place)
Slovenian Team of the Year 2015
Best Athlete of Ljubljana 2015 (3.place)
Bloudek Award fo Extraordinary International Achievement
2017
World League - Group 2 (1.place)
European Championship (8.place)
2018
Golden European League (12.place)
World Championship (12.place)
2019
VNL Challenger Cup (1.place)
European Championship (2.place)
Best Middle Blocker of European Championship
Club Achievements
2013/2014WITH OK ČRNUČE
2. DOL (1.place)
2014/2015WITH ACH VOLLEY
Slovenian Cup (1.place and Best Middle Blocker)
MEVZA (3.place)
1. DOL (1.place)
Participant in CEV Champions League
2015/2016 WITH ACH VOLLEY
Slovenian Cup (2.place and Best Middle Blocker)
MEVZA (1.place)
1. DOL (1.place)
Participant in CEV Champions League
2016/2017WITH ACH VOLLEY
Slovenian Cup (2. place and Best Middle Blocker)
MEVZA (1.place)
1. DOL (1.place)
CEV Champions League (16.place)
2017/2018WITH TRENTINO VOLLEY
Italian SuperCup (4.place)
Italian Cup (Semifinals)
Italian Championship (Semifinals - 4.place)
CEV Champions League (5.place)
2018/2019WITH POWERVOLLEY MILANO
Italian Cup (Quarterfinals)
Italian Championship (Quarterfinals - 5.place)
2019/2020WITH POWERVOLLEY MILANO
Italian Cup (Quarterfinals)
Italian Championship (no place - COVID19)
CEV Challenge Cup (no place - COVID19)
The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity.
The Optimist Sees Opportunity
In Every Difficulty.
John Wooden
