Sprint kayaker Kammerer is a sporting icon in his native Hungary, having won two gold medals at the Sydney 2000 Games, another in Athens 2004 and silver at London 2012.
At the KUR Olympic Training and Sport Centre in Mingachevir, Kammerer claimed gold in both the men’s K4 (kayak four) 1,000 metres and the K2 (kayak double) 1,000 metres events.
European Games gold does not count towards Rio 2016 qualification, with quota spots instead being achieved for the country rather than the athlete, at the world championships in Milan.
Should he qualify, it would be a sixth Olympic appearance for Kammerer, who was his country's flag-bearer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has won 13 world championship medals.
"I was 18 when I first competed at the Olympics," the 37-year-old told Reuters on Sunday.
"I haven’t thought that 20 years later, with three Olympic golds, I will be preparing for my sixth Games.
"I love what I do. So this is simply my life. I don’t know what will happen in 2020, but for now I am not ready to declare that these will be my last games."
Critics of the inaugural Games in the Azeri capital had suggested the multi-sport event carried little importance, with many of the continent's best athletes forgoing the opportunity to compete.
The kayak sprint, traditionally dominated by European nations, included a strong field and Hungary, with a rich history of success, places huge significance on it.
Krammerer’s medals were two of 10 won by the Hungarians.
"I travelled to the European Games knowing that this will be the most important event before the Olympic qualification world championships," Kammerer added.
"Our head coach already decided last year to put the European Games ahead of the European Championships. We knew that other nations prepare likewise, so we counted on having a strong field and tough competition.
"Since canoe sprint is mostly a European sport, we knew that it would be difficult to achieve good results, as the best athletes compete in this event.
"Hungarians appreciate equally all national successes -- naturally the Olympics are above all, but the European Games gold medal also means an enormous pride for the athlete and brings great joy to the fans too."
(Reporting by Tom Hayward, editing by Steve Tongue)
Share
