Jagoda Batagelj

Jagoda Štrukelj, who competed professionally under the surname Batagelj after her marriage to fellow dancer Jurij Batagelj, is a Slovenian International Latin dancer who helped establish her country among the world's elite competitive partnerships. The couple's WDSF partnership began on 23 August 1999 and quickly gained recognition across the sport's most demanding platforms.

Throughout 2008, Štrukelj and Batagelj reached the final rounds of major championships. They placed second at the Szombathely GrandSlam, fourth at the European Championship in Salou, fourth at the Stuttgart GrandSlam, and fifth at the World Championship in Melbourne—results that reflect sustained competitive standing across multiple formats and continents.

Their breakthrough came in 2009. On 7 February, they won the World Cup Latin in Antwerp, establishing themselves among the sport's top partnerships. That same year brought a second-place finish in Kaohsiung, fourth place at the World Championship in Maribor, and third at the Shanghai GrandSlam. The geographic spread of these finals—from Europe to East Asia—underscores the fully international reach of their career.

In their final season as competitors, Jagoda and Jurij won the International Open Latin in Koper on 8 May 2010 and placed fourth at the European Championship Latin in Ostrava. The WDSF partnership record closed on 20 June 2010, though this marks the end of their competitive registration rather than their departure from dance.

Following their competition career, Batagelj became known as an educator and analyst. Lecture footage documents her teaching alongside Jurij, including specialized material on Paso Doble technique. In these settings, she and her partner treat shape, opposition, and spatial intention as structural choices, demonstrating a shift from competitive execution to the transmission of knowledge.