Sports

The earliest known description of a sporting event in Croatia is from the 16th century. It reffered to the 1593 regatta of seventy four (yes, 74) wooden fishing boats called falkusa, from the harbour of the town of Komiza on the island of Vis to the islet of Palagruza. It was the oldest known boat race in Europe. Falkusa is autochthonous Croatian boat of 9m of length, with the mast of equal size, in use from 11th or 12th century until the middle of the 20th century. A crew was composed of five rowers, and the marathon covered 42 miles, for which about five to fifteen hours of continuous and exhausting rowing was necessary, depending on weather conditions.

Falkusa, autochthonous Croatian boat from the town of Komiza, island of Vis

The very start of the marathon of the armada was announced by a cannon from the Renaissance tower in the Komiza harbour early in the morning of 20th May. One can imagine the foam raised by 74 boats and 370 rows in the harbour! The description of this interesting event is kept in the Liber Comissiae in the parish of the town of Vis on the island of Vis. In 1998 falkusa was included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. See Prvi zapis o Palagurskoj regati (in Croatian), Gajeta Falkusa, Vis (in Polish), The Falkusa.

A Croatian falkusa sailed from Komiza to Lisabon to be exhibited at EXPO'98, where Croatia was the greatest surprise. Postage stamp designed by Danijel Popovic, Zagreb.

The next earliest known description of a sporting event in Croatia is from the 18th century (1764). It referred to the regatta of two fishing boats representing the cities of Split and Makarska, from an islet near Milna on the island of Brac to the Split harbour. It was the Makaran boat that triumphed!

One of truly fascinating exploits in which Croatian mariners participated is related to ARCTIC EXPEDITION in 1872-1874, organized by the Austrian-Hungarian state.

The first international football (soccer) match where Croatia participated with its national name had been held in 1907 (with Czechia). The Croatian Sporting Union was founded in Zagreb in 1909. In 1911 the Croatian representation participated under its flag (and with its national name) on the European championship in Torino. In 1912 Franjo Gregl was the European champion in bicycling.

Outstanding Croatian wrestler ("junak iz Like") was Marijan Matijevic (1878-1951). Matijevic traveled throughout the world to exhibit his extraordinary physical power (bending metal rods, stone breaking), including China. He is known to have surpassed Primo Carnera from Italy. Buried in the town of Zupanja near Danube.

The oldest Croatian soccer club is Backa, founded in Subotica in Backa in 1901, playing in the then Croatian league. It is also the oldest soccer club in this part of Europe. Nikola Matkovic (1864-1946), living in Subotica, was a very successful athlet in the then Austria-Hungary. When the Subotica Gymnastic Society (Suboticko gimnasticko drustvo) competed in Belgrade in 1900, they won the first prizes in all disciplines. Furthermore, the newspapers reported that "...the Subotica sportsmen demonstrated in Belgrade the new game called Football, until then unknown in that city..." One of Matkovic's pupils was Djuro Stantic, the world champion in walking on 75 km, in Berlin 1905.
See Ante Zomborovic: Nikola Matkovic prvi Hrvat-Bunjevac skolovani ucitelj tjelesnog odgoja, Suboticka Danica (nova), Kalendar za 2004, Subotica 2003, pp 192-194. Beginnings of soccer in Croatia by Croatian Football Federation.

Rudolph Matz (1901-1988), a famous cello player and music educator, professor at the University of Zagreb, was a top Croatian sportsman. As a sprinter he won the first place in the Prague in 1921, beating also German sprinters. He was a record holder in Croatia on 100 (for 11 years!), 200, 4x100, and 400 m. He stressed that the work of a music educator is similar to that of a trainer.

Franjo Mihalic (1921) started his active sporting career in the period of the Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945), and after 1945 had to move to Belgrade, together with many other best Croatian sportsmen. He won a silver medal in Marathon at the Olympic Games in Melbourne (1956); he was the winner of the International races in Sao Paulo (1952, 1954), as well as Marathon races in Tokyo, Moscow, Boston, Athens, Cross de Nations in Paris (1950-1961).

We should remember also Fritzie Zivic (originally Zivchich, 1913-1984), known as The Croat Comet, famous welterweight boxer in the USA, who had 230 professional matches. In 1940 he won the title of the champion of the world having defeated "unbeatable" Henry Armstrong. Their rematch held in Madison Square Garden in 1941, where Fritzie managed to defend his title, was visited by 23,190 people (and 5,000 fans were reportedly denied access). This remains all-time highest Garden record for attendance. In 1972 entered the "International Boxing Hall of Fame".

Fritzie Zivic, New World Welterweight Champion, The Ring, January 1941,
source Vladimir Novak

Several books were written about his life (below is the front page of one of them, Timpav: CHAMP - Fritzie Zivcic - The life and time of the Croat Comet. His four brothers were all boxers, and two of them, Pete and Jack Zivic, represented the USA at the 1920 Olympic Games at Antwerpen, Belgium. Jack won the Gold medal for the USA in featherweight category.

Sandy Cecere, 2005: We have fond memories of George Mikan in my family. He was a towering man with a big heart, and a faith in God that carried him through many rough times. He needed a special car so that he could fit into it. When he came to visit at our house he had to duck to get into our house, and into our car, and garage. My father, a dear friend of George was 5'8 inches tall, and George was 6'7" tall. When the two stood next to one another, they were the true mutt and Jeff. George was a man of great faith, and I know that Sam and George are in heaven practicing law together, and talking about their love of sports. I will always remember George Mikans smile and what a great friend he was to my dad. When my dad was dying, Dad didn't want to see anyone, but George didn't care, he came into the hospital to see his friend Sam, and I remember my father's eyes lighting up, and that my Dad felt good enough that day to have a long conversation with his friend George. In my family we were taught to always call our elders, Mr and Mrs., so I did. When I was in my 30's George told me to call him George. I told him I just didn't think I could do that. He laughed and made me!! His nickname for me was "the favorite one". I will always remember him.

Perica Vlasic (1932-2004), a famous Croatian rower, was european champion in skiff in 1953 in Copenhagen. He could row for an unbelievable 58 strokes per minute. This brought him also the world title in skiff at the famous Henley Royal Regatta in London in 1954, and he was presented the gold cup by the English Queen in person, the patron of the regatta. It is funny that, to the amazement of other sportsmen, Vlasic came to the London town just a day before the competition, without his trainer, and without any boat. The boat was lended to him by an English trainer - God bless him.

The following few interesting lines are based on Sports in Zagreb:

• The famed scientist (biologist) and table tennis player, Professor Zarko Dolinar, who captured eight gold medals at world championship competitions. Dr. Dolinar still holds an unusual world record. He is the only athlete in the world who was a world champion as well as a doctor of science. He was former World Doubles Champion and had a prestigious position of ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Sports Science Committee head. It is interesting that he taught John Lennon to play table tennis (information by Nenad Bach). Except of being university professor in Zagreb and in Basel, he also had the title of one of Croatian Righteous among the nations.
• Students of Zagreb University founded the first sports society in Zagreb called "HASK" - the Croatian Academic Sports Club, already in 1903. It is little known that our eminent chemist and recipient of the Nobel Price for chemistry in 1975, Vladimir Prelog, was a "HASK" athlete and the first Croatian champion in the modern pentathlon in 1923!

On the background of this web-page is Nenad Bach's song Can We Go Higher?, or We Will Win (on a Wild World Web), accompanied by the sound of Croatian tamburitza (Blue Adriatic - Plavi Jadran, from San Francisco).

Famous Croatian baseball players in the USA:

• Roger Maris (1934-1985), major league baseball player, was born in Hibbing, Minnesota the son of first generation Croatian Americans. Roger Maris (Maras) had a baseball record in the USA which was unbeaten for as long as 27 years. See Roger Maris Museum and www.croatia.org.
• Mickey Lolich

Source Vladimir Novak: Croatians in America

Gary Gabelich, USA Croat (his parents are from the city of Split), has won the world record with his automobile "Blue Flame" in 1970, achieving the speed of 622.4 miles/h (more than 1000 km/h). Even more interesting is that this record was unbeaten for as long as 13 years, see History for kids, Utah, USA. In 1985 the Long Beach City Council named a park in his memory, Gabelich Park (near San Pedro and Los Angeles).

Among the most outstanding Croatian sportsmen were Dragutin Surbek (table tennis), who had won hundreds of tournaments, from Tokyo and Beijing to Zagreb (37 medals from european and world championships!), and a semi heavy-weight boxer Mate Parlov (also a professional semi heavy-weight professional European champion in 1979).

Veljko Rogosic was named International Long Distance Swimming Federation World Champion four times between 1971 and 1974.

In 1992 this outstanding sportsman entered the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Florida, USA. He was participant of the Homeland War during Greater-Serbian aggression on Croatia. Recipient of the Medal of Homeland War from president Franjo Tudjman. His motto and message to young people is

WITH SPORT AGAINST DRUGS

• Rogosic swam La Manche (45 km) in 2004 at the age of 63! For this he needed 11 hours and 27 minutes. His name was written in the 'Gold book of La Manche' as the first Croatian and the oldest man to do so.
• In the summer 2005 he swam almost 1,000 km along Croatian coast (from Savudrija to Rt Ostro in Konavle) in less than two months, at the age of 64! Also, this is the ultra-marathon swimming world record (880 km in 222 hours, in 57 etapes in less than 58 days).

Djurdjica Bjedov won the Olympic gold medal in swimming (Mexico, 1968). In 1998, in the finals of the European Championship held in Sheffield, England, Milos Milosevic set the new world record in the 50 meter butterfly (23:30), thus beating the world record of the Russian swimmer Denis Pankratov, that many held unbeatable.

Milos Milosevic, world record on 50m butterfly in 1998

Milos is a native of Split, now living and training in Rijeka. European champion in 2000 in backstroke swimming with 1:58.62 on 200m is Gordan Kozulj.

Duje Draganja won the Olympic silver medal in men's 50m freestyle final, Athens, 2004.

Duje Draganja breaking the world record in 2008 in Manchester. Source: CROWN.

In 2008 Duje Draganja broke the men's 50 metres freestyle world record at the finals of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Manchester, UK. This was one of the greatest successes in the history of Croatian sport.

Sanja Jovanovic from the city of Dubrovnik, broke the world record in 50 meters backstroke on European Short Course Swimming Championships in Hungary, 2007. This was one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sport.

Sanja Jovanovic, world champion in 50 m backstroke, 2007, AP Image

Sanja Jovanovic with gold medal, breaking her own world record, and China's Gao Chang, silver, during the medal ceremony for the final of the Women's 50m backstroke at the World Short Course Swimming Championships at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Thomas)

Sanja Jovanovic broke her own world record on 50m backstroke swimming at the 2008 World Swimming Championships Manchester, UK. Her new world record time is 26.37.

Ivo Prebeg, a professional heavy-weight boxer, was the European champion in 1969, Marijan Benes was a professional European boxing champion in 1979 (welter-weight category).

Another well known name is George Chuvalo, Canadian Croat, heavy-weight champion of Canada for more than two decades (from 1958 to 1979), for as many as seventeen years among the Top Ten professional boxers in the world, and never knockouted. He had matches among others with Floyd Patterson, Mohammad Ali (twice, both times for the title of the world champion), Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. His professional record is impressive: 79 wins (70 by knockouts), 15 loses, and 2 draws.

The above exceptionally humanist and deeply moving web site obtained the Golden Web Award for 2001 by the International Association of Web Masters & Designers.

Zeljko Mavrovic won the title of European heavy-weight boxing champion in 1995. The European karate champion in absolute category in 1995 was Enver Idrizi (of Albanian nationality), also ex-champion of the world (1994). A world-wide reputation in thai boxing had Branko Cikatic from Split, winner of many international tournaments, including the grand 1994 K-1 Tokyo tournament. Also very successful in martial arts is Stefan Leko.

Several outstanding results in karate had Junior Lefevre, a Belgian born Flemish, who fought under the Croatian flag. He won three european gold medals and one world's gold (world champion in München, Germany in 2000, in the category to 70 kg).

Great successes in martial arts has Mirko Filipovic, known as Mirko Cro Cop: K-1 Grand Prix '99 Finalist, I.K.B.F World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, K-1 WORLD GP 2000 in Fukuoka Second Champion, winner of the 2006 PRIDE competition in Tokyo.

In 2003 Stipe Drvis (Drews) won the title of European semi-weight boxing champion. In 2007 he became the light heavyweight WBA champion of the world.

In wrestling there is the widespread term of

cravate, cravat, kravat, kravata

for headlock move (in French, English, Italian, Turkish, Croatian, Polish, and other languages). This term, used also for necktie, has been derived from the Croatian name.

Filip Grgic won gold medal at the 2007 Bejing WTF World Taekwondo Championships in male bantamweight (under 62kg) category, China. Photo from www.wtf.org.

Matija Ljubek has won a fair number of olympic medals in kayak. He is considered to be one of the greatest kayakers in the history of this sport.

Source: Croatian Philatelic Society, USA, founded by Ekrem Spahic

The best Croatian basketball players were

• Kresimir Cosic (1948-1995; he spent last years of his life in the USA as the Croatian diplomat); became only the third international player ever elected to the world's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball. See also his biography at KK Zadar.

  

• Drazen Petrovic (you can see his beautiful monument in the Olympic park in Lausanne, Switzerland), elected the world's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. He was very popular throughout Europe.

  

  

• Toni Kukoc

  

  

• Dino Radja.

  

Our basketball, water polo and handball teams were in some periods among the best teams in the world. They won many gold medals on the Olympic and World championships. Our water polo team won silver medal at the Olympic games in Atlanta, 1996 (gold medal for ex-Yu at the Olympics in Ciudad de Mexico in 1968, the team had 12 players, out of them 8 were Croats). The Croatian handball team won

• the olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996,
• gold medal at the World Championship held in Portugal in 2003,
• the olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 with perfect score, without any lost game, under the leadership of Lino Cervar (for the first time in the history of this sport the same national team bears the titles of both Olympic and World champions).

I warmly recommend You the following book (in Croatian):
Lino Cervar: Od Ucke do Olimpa, Teovizija, Zagreb, 2004., ISBN 953-209-084-3

La Croatie est championne du monde de handball

In 2004, when Croatia won the second Olympic handball title in Athens (after the first one in 1996, Atlanta), Ivano Balic was proclaimed the best handball player of the world for 2003 by International Handball Federation.

There is nothing extraordinary that the handball team of Cannes, France, once won a match scoring altogether 24 goals. But the following is without precedent: all the goals were scored by one single person! And that person was Ante Kostelic - Gips (nicknamed Gips = plaster; guess why!), better known as father of Weltklasse skiers Janica and Ivica.

Ante Kostelic-Gips with friends,
photo from Stanko Kempny Croatian Mountaineering Society

During ex-Yugoslavia, although he was one of the best handball players at that time, it had not been allowed to him to enter the representation, and that is why he turned to an individual sport of skiing as a trainer. Mr. Kostelic is not only a great expert in sports, but also a person knowledgeable on the classical literature.

Mladost-Zagreb is the most successful water polo club in the world, with the greatest number of world's and European trophies in its hands (seven times: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1996). In 2003 Mladost was awarded the newly founded yearly prize of the AWPC (Association of Water Polo Clubs) in Budapest, Hungary, for their contribution to the world wide popularity of water polo. Players of the Mladost (= Youth) team are nicknamed zabci (froggies; zaba = frog).

Zapci (Froggies), players of Mladost-Zagreb water polo club

Soccer is of course the most widespread sport. An excellent soccer club in Croatia is Hajduk (Split), three times quarter-finalist of the European League of Champions (last time in 1995) and once a semi-finalist of the UEFA cup. The champion of the Tournament of Cities (the future UEFA cup) in 1967 was "Dinamo", winning against Leeds (England) in the finals.

A traditional 36th tournament of Crotian soccer union in Canada and the USA in 1999 included the following clubs with indicative names: CROATIA Florida, CROATIA Toronto, HRVAT St. Catharines, CROATIA New York, Croatia Mississauga, CROATIA Windsor, CROATIA Detroit, DALMACIJA Streetsville, CROATIA Norval, NERETVA Mississauga, CROATIA Cleveland, ADRIA Subrury, LIVNO Oakville, CROATIA Hamilton, ADRIA Oshawa, CROATIA London, CROATIA S.S. Marie, HRVAT Kitchener, VELEBIT Oakville, HRVATSKI Orlovi Milwaukee, HRVAT (ZRINSKI) Chicago, CBP JADRAN Chicago, JADRAN Ottawa, KARLOVAC Mississauga, ZAGREB Toronto. HRVAT Kitchener has won the the first place. Believe it or not, there are more than 100 (hundred) soccer clubs outside of Croatia, throughout the world, bearing the name of Croatia.

Mr. Charles Perkins (1936-2000) was the first Aborigin in the history of Australia who earned the university diploma. Later he became the political leader of Aborigins. It is worth knowing that as a young man he played soccer for the Adelaide Croatia Soccer Club since 1958. In his autobiography he reflected with fondness on his friendships with Adelaide Croats and other immigrants he met through the club.

Here is an excerpt from a lovely description of the 2001 triumph of the water polo club Jug from the famous Dubrovnik, winning the European Champions League, taken from www.waterpolo.com:

Elvis Leads JUG To "FINAL FOUR" Title
Dubrovnic, Croatia, May 19- Water polo is a national obsession in this beautiful Dalmatian coast port city, but it had been twenty years since Jug, the local club, had won the European Champions league. For the six thousand lucky souls who got tickets to the Gruz swimming stadium for this year's "Final Four," the championship game of professional water polo's premier event was a night to remember. The atmosphere at European water polo matches is unlike any event staged in the United States. Drums, air horns, flares and constant yelling - cheering, singing or whistling - depending upon the moment. It's impossible to hear the announcer and a wonder that the players can hear the signals from the referees. This year's event even had an appearance by Elvis. Elvis Fatovic that is. And it's hard to imagine Elvis Presley getting more cheers than his Croatian namesake when he scored the game's first goal at the two-minute mark...

Elvis Fatovic with the trophy of the 2001 European Champions League in water polo

Water polo club Jug from Dubrovnik, founded in 1923, was three times the winner of the Eureopan Champions League: 1980, 2001, 2006, and winner of European Supercup for 2006.

Croatian waterpolo team, led by their coach Ratko Rudic,
won the title of World champions in Melbourne, 2007 (source: CROWN)

Croatia won the prestigeous FINA World Championships waterpolo competition held in Melbourne, 2007, with a perfect score of six consecutive wins.

Samir Barac, a member of Croatian waterpolo team winning the title of World champions in Melbourne, 2007 (source: CROWN)

Miho Boskovic, from the town of Dubrovnik, was proclaimed the best European waterpolo player for 2007 by LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation), ie by the European Swimming League. By the way, Miho is professor of piano. Photo from www.crowaterpolo.com.

Croatian eight-man boat won the olympic bronze in Sydney in 2000, being only half a boat after the winning GB. This is one of greatest results in the history of Croatian sport in general. The crew, composed of Igor Francetic, Tihomir Frankovic, Tomislav Smoljanovic, Niksa Skelin, Sinisa Skelin, Kresimir Culjak, Igor Boraska, Branimir Ujevic (+ Silvio Petrusko), trained for only four months!

Brothers Skelin (Sinisa and Niksa) won gold medal at the World cup in 2002.

Tomislav Hohnjec won the gold medal of the Wild Water World Championship on the Loishach river in the German Alps in 2004. This was Croatia's first ever gold medal in a C1 wild water championship. In men's C1 team event in Garmish Partenkirchen, 2004, Croatia also won the gold medal, winning over France (silver), Germany (bronze), Czechia and the USA.

Kristijan Curavic set a new world record in diving under ice (2004). He reached a depth of more than 50 meters under ice (1.4 m thick) in Lake Djupvatnet (1100 m above sea level) in the Northeastern part of Norway, wearing only a mask, wetsuit and monofin.

In 2005 he improved his own record reaching an amazing depth of 51.2 m in 1.32 min., at the temperature of air of -22 degrees C, and water temperature of -3 degrees C, while the ice was 2m thick. After this exploit (which is not recognized by international diving organizations due to extreme life danger), Kristijan said: "This is a great event for me and for Croatia". For more information see www.curavic.org.

In 2007 Karla Fabrio, a Croatian representative, set up a world record in diving on breath for women (discipline Jump Blue), on the World Championship held in Bari, Italy, attaining 130 m. In this way she equalled her own world record attained earliear the same year in Croatia, on the island of Vis.

International Boat Race in Metkovic

No doubt, the greatest success achieved by Croatian soccer is the third place at 1998 World Championship (Coup du Monde) held in France. The excellent team of Holland was defeated by 2:1 in the match in Paris. Thus Croatian team became the greatest surprise of the Championship. Our national team has been led by Miroslav Ciro Blazevic (Bosnian Croat born in the town of Travnik).

In 2007 Croatian football team led by Slaven Bilic defeated England in London in a qualifying match for Euro 2008, in front of 88,000 spectators. According to English media, it was the greatest display from a visiting nation to Wembley in modern times. Also, it was the first time a country had scored three against England in a competitive game at the venue since 1972. This victory helped also Russia to qualify for Euro 2008.

Zeljko Franulovic is the second greatest player in the history of the Croatian tennis (after Goran Ivanisevic). Now he is one of the most important personalities in the organizational structure of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals). He is currently the proprietor of the ATP tournament in Geneva, director of the prestigious Masters' tournament in Frankfurt. He prepared an ATP tournament held in Zagreb in 1996, where Goran Ivanisevic triumphed (the same day Iva Majoli triumphed in Tokyo; indeed, a great day for the Croatian tennis).

Goran with Croatian coat of arms

• Goran Ivanisevic (three times Wimbledon finalist, 2001 Wimbledon champion, see some photos from Fotoklub Split)
  Something amazing
  • Goran dedicated Wimbledon 2001 to Drazen Petrovic
• Iva Majoli (winner of Roland Garros at the age of 18, Paris, 1997, at that time 4th on the world list)

In 2005 Croatia managed to win in the Davis Cup quarter-final match against very strong USA team on "their territory". Ivan Ljubicic (Bosnian Croat born in Banja Luka) defeated Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, and with his colleague Mario Ancic brought victory against brothers Bryan in the doubles. Until the match with Croatia in 2005 the USA Davis Cup team has never lost a round at home in 105 years of play! Furthermore, Croatia is only 12th country in history to win the Davis Cup.

Croatian team won the 2005 Davis Cup in the final match with Slovakia in Bratislava. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sport. Members of the team were

• Ivan Ljubicic,
• Mario Ancic,
• Ivan Karlovic, and
• Goran Ivanisevic.

Nikola Pilic, leader of the team, thus became the first captain in the history of Davis cup to win the trophy for different nations (he led Germany to Davis Cup titles in 1988, 1989 and 1993).

Marin Cilic won the 2005 Roland Garros gold medal in Paris in the junior category (at the age of 16, as one of the youngest competitors). He lost only one set in the whole tournament. Marin was born in the famous Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatia Open Umag, International tennis championship of Croatia

Zoran Primorac won several important international table tennis tournaments: in France in 1997, in Qatar in 1998 and other. The tournaments gathered the best table tennis players of the world.

And Tamara Boros was the best ping-pong player in the world among women of non-Chinese origin for 1998 and 1999 (ranked 13th, the first 12 places being occupied by Chinese players, as well as many places after Tamara). She is famous for her attractive offensive style.

She was the winner of the 2002 TOP 12 European ping-pong competition in Rotterdam. After this success she was placed second (!) on the world rank. She won the third place at the World Championship in Paris in 2003, which is the greatest success of Croatian (and European!) table tennis for women.

She also won the 2006 Europe TOP 12 competition in Copenhagen.

Tamara is the only one in Europe capable to cope with ping-pong players from Asia (China, Japan, etc.). In 2006 she has been invited to China to play table tennis in their professional league, which is the strongest one in the world. In 1991, as a young girl Tamara had to escape with her parents from what is now Serbia and Montenegro, when Greater-Serbian aggression on Croatia started. Her both parents are Hungarians. Together with Janica Kostelic, Tamara Boros is one of the greatest Croatian sportswomen in history.

• Davor Suker played soccer for ``Sevilla'',
• Robert Jarni for ``Betis'',
• Aco Petrovic (brother of Drazen Petrovic) was a trainer of a basketball club in Sevilla and, last but not least,
• Vjekoslav Sutej conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Sevilla from 1990 to 1996 (better known as conductor of annual Christmas concerts in Vienna).

Croatia is the only country in the world with no mountain above 2,000 meters (though with probably the most beautiful mountain in Europe - VELEBIT) and with world's top skier - Janica Kostelic. She was shining in women's slalom in 1999 (being only 17 years old). Her second victory of the season put her in first place in the World Cup overall standings and strengthened her lead in the specialty standings. In her historical victory in Serre Chevalier, France, 5. December 1999, the difference between the first two was 1.78 seconds, the greatest achieved in the previous 20 years! Her ardent supporter is Goran Ivanisevic. In March 2001 Janica became the World Cup Champion in alpine skiing. This is one of greatest successes in the history of Croatian sport. Upon her arrival to the Zagreb airport she obtained 1256 roses and custard slices...

In 2002, at the Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City in the USA, Janica Kostelic became the first Alpine skier to win as many as four Olympic medals at a single Game: three gold medals and one silver. This was a result of many years of painstaking work undertaken already at her tender age by her father Mr. Ante Kostelic and the whole family. As stated by Mr. Kostelic, this success would not have been possible without free Croatia.

And Janica's brother, Ivica Kostelic, stunned everybody with his win in the 2001 World Cup slalom in Aspen, Colorado, USA, at the age of 22. He skied out of the 64th position in the first run, then was fastest in the second run to win in 1 minute, 38.81 seconds. It was the latest starting position for a slalom winner in World Cup history and third latest in any event. Ivica is also known as the best blues and rock guitarist among skiers, and at the same time the best skier among blues and rock guitarists.

1. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 1 minute, 38.81 seconds. 2. Giorgio Rocca, Italy, 1:38.93. 3. Mario Matt, Austria, 1:39.00. 4. Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Norway, 1:39.43. 5. Jure Kosir, Slovania, 1:40.00. 6. Lasse Kjus, Norway, 1:40.03. 7. Michael Von Gruenigen, Switzerland, 1:40.09. 8. Kalle Palander, Finland, 1:40.15. 9. Jean-Pierre Vidal, France, 1:40.17. 10. Alan Perathoner, Italy, 1:40.18.

In 2003 Ivica and Janica Kostelic both won the title of world champions in slalom. They became the first siblings to win gold medals in the same event at the world's.

In 2006 Janica won gold medal in combined event at the Olympic games in Torino, Italy, and silver medal in Super-G. With this achievement (four gold medals and two silver) she became the most successful skier among women in the history of Olympic Games. Her brother Ivica won silver olympic medal in men's Alpine skiing combined event.

The life of the family of Kostelic is unique in the history of skiing sport (and may be in the history of sport in general). When Janica and Ivica were very young, they used to travel with their old Lada (Russian car), and also to sleep and eat in the car. At the same time other children stayed in a hotel, sleeping in their warm beds. Kostelic's were sleeping also in a small mountain tent, sometimes at the temperature reaching -20 degrees Celsius. They were not able to pay for their trainings, so they used to wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning, to wash their faces with snow, and train at dawn (free of charge) with their worn up gloves, while others were still sleeping or having breakfast.

Ivica and Janica at the Olympic games in Salt Lake City,
USA, 2002, photo by Getty Images

It is well known that skiing is the sport of the rich. When Kostelic's went back home from Austria, Germany, France or Switzerland, several times it happened to them that they had to sell their skies in order to be able to buy petrol for their Lada... And let us not forget, at that time the Greater Serbian aggression was raging throughout Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1990-1995). Mr. Ante Kostelic-Gips himself, father of Ivica and Janica, is an amazing Croatian sportsman and trainer, former handball player, working with his children on the long run. He remembers with deep gratitude an Austrian, Mr Willie Arnsteiner, wire-keeper, who donated them 100 Schillings daily during a critical period, and who predicted their great skiing future.

At the age of 15 Janica had 22 consecutive wins at European competitions for children during one season. One day after the death of president Franjo Tudjman, Janica was skiing with mourning black armband. Young Kostelic's were raised in deep patriotism, and their sacrifices will always be remembered. Let us also mention a regular short ritual of Christian crossing immediately before every competition. It is amusing to see how "objective" European TV media strive to avoid this indicative and important detail.

Janica with her three olympic gold medals
Salt Lake City, USA, 2002

At the very end of 1999 Janica had a tragic fall: four of her ligaments on the knee out of five were broken. After a very difficult operation and reconstruction of her knee, she had a painstaking program of getting back to normal living. She was able not only to walk again, but also to win on European, World, and Olympic competitions in skiing.

The human story of Kostelic's is waiting to be written in all details, with a special emphasis on low blows of "independent" media. This story is much greater than the story about their sport successes. Ivica and Janica, like many others on this web page, would never have appeared without the advent of free Croatia.

Janica Kostelic,
winning the 2006 Women Alpine Ski World Cup super-G race
in Bad Kleinkircheheim (photo by Ruters/Calle Teornstroem)

Académie des sports, Paris - Le palmarès 2005 ... Janica Kostelic reçoit le Prix International Monique Berlioux 2006 (performance la plus remarquable de l'année écoulée): Janica Kostelic (Croatie - Ski alpin), triple championne du monde de ski alpin.

Janica with Croatian coat of arms (AP Photo/A. Trovati), Sweden, 2006
World Cup champion for the third time,
set a new single-season points record for women after winning the final Alpine skiing race of the season in the giant slalom.

Croatia's alpine skiing champion Janica Kostelic smells a brand new variety of Dutch-grown tulips named after her at a ceremony in Zagreb, 2006. A Dutch tulip grower Cor Grooteman from the town of Lisse, the Netherlands, asked Janica Kostelic for permission to use her name for the new sort of tulips, thus honouring the World Cup winner and Olympic champion. REUTERS/Nikola Solic

Janica - winner of the 2006 Laureus World Sports Award, Barcelona
Photo by Reuters

Otto Lang (1908-2006) founded the first ski school at Mount Rainier (a National Park in the USA) in 1937 and directed Sun Valley's ski school before and after World War II. Then he launched a successful career as a Hollywood filmmaker. He was born in 1908 in the small village of Zenica, Bosnia, to an Austrian father and Croatian mother. One of his best-known pupils was Gretchen Kunigk of Tacoma, who later won an Olympic gold medal for the United States in 1948 under her married name, Gretchen Fraser. "He was an unbelievable human being," said skiing filmmaker and longtime friend Warren Miller. "He is the last of the old Austrian ski instructors; it is the absolute end of an era." Miller also called Lang a "Renaissance man."

Val and Sandra Bezic, brother and sister, are famous Canadian figure skating pair. They were champions of Canada in the period of 1970-1974, and representatives of Canada in the Winter Olympic Games, Munich, 1972 (placed ninth). Sandra Bezic is known as one of the best figure skating choreographers in the world. For many years, Bezic served as producer, director, and choreographer of the touring show Stars on Ice. Sandra Bezic also worked on highly acclaimed "Carmen on Ice." She designed programs for Olympic champions Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi, and wrote the book The Passion to Skate, which was made into a documentary. Bezic also choreographed the routines of figure skaters Kurt Browning, Josée Chouinard, and Katarina Witt for 1994 Olympics.

European champion Nikolay Pechalov (of Bulgarian origin) won Croatia's Olympic gold medal in weightlifting in men's 62 kilogram class in Sydney in 2000. He set an Olympic Games record of 150 kg in the snatch and lifted 175 kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 325 kg, an Olympic record. His principal sponsor is Goran Ivanisevic.

Dean Lukin is a famous weigthlifter in Australia. He has Croatian roots: his father Dinko Lukin, a famous tuna farmer in Australia, is from Croatia. In 1984, with the assistance of an Eastern European and USSR boycott of the Los Angeles Games, Dean Lukin won Australia's first weightlifting gold medal at an Olympic Games.

His win was in the Super Heavyweight category (approximatly 140 kg), and in fact he was the first ever in the history of the sport to do so (snatch 172.5 kg, clean & jerk 240 kg, total 412.5 kg). Dean, a full-time tuna fisherman and part-time weightlifter, had the honour to carry the Australian flag during the closing ceremony of the 1984 Olympic Games.

Dean Lukin 1982 Commonwealth Games, YouTube

Dean Lukin jerks 227.5kg 1983,YouTube

1985 Dean Lukin 240.5kg Jerk, YouTube

 

Run Your Best ... One great achievement is to do a "P.B.": personal best. They want to achieve the Olympic motto "Citius--altius--fortius": "Faster, higher, stronger". Whenever an athlete achieves beyond his or her best ever achievement, then you have a success, whether a medal is won or not. One personal best which stands out in my memory, resulted in a gold medal for Dean Lukin in the Los Angles Games 1984. Dean Lukin, from Port Lincoln, South Australia, was an amateur in Olympic weight lifting. He was the son of a fisherman who worked for his dad. He built massive legs and arms hauling in huge blue fin tuna from the southern ocean. He was 24, already a millionaire, owning a white Mercedes and two light planes. He won gold in the super-heavyweight division in the Commonwealth Games and the national titles. He trained only in the 16 weeks prior to the Olympics because work came first. The super heavyweight lifters from Russia, the Eastern block countries and America trained full-time, held all the records, and had won every previous Olympic gold medal. At Los Angles Dean Lukin was to lift his personal best. Dinko "Dean" Lukin After the first round he trailed in third place behind the American Mario Martinez who was the favourite and Manfred Nerlinger from West Germany. Dean Lukin, after the snatch was 15 kilos behind Mario allowing for the personal weight difference. In the final clean and jerk Mario lifted 220 kilograms, his personal best. But Lukin with a great effort lifted 222 kilograms. The West German tried for his personal best but fell flat on his back. Then Lukin lifted 227.5 kilos, his personal best. Lukin was now guaranteed at least a silver medal. Mario then lifted another personal best of 225 kilos. 10,000 American spectators roared, certain their man had won the gold medal. Mario Martinez came back on stage for three encores. Lukin was, on the combined weights 12.5 kilos behind, and he had just lifted his personal best for the second time. The speakers announced "Dean Lukin will pass other lifts and go for gold. He has ordered the bar to be loaded to 240 kilos." The crowd was stunned. As he walked on stage, Lukin was attempting 12.5 kilos more than he had ever lifted before. With the cleanest of clean and jerks he heaved the bar above his head, holding aloft the equivalent of two large refrigerators! The judges signalled a clean lift. He had won. The crowd went delirious. I jumped high into the air! That night the Russians took him out to dinner, treating him like a hero because he had defeated the Americans. He had done his best. ... The point of personal best, is not an individual achievement. Dean Lukin had his coach by his side focusing his energies. His mother was in the dressing room urging him on in a way that made him determined. A personal best is a quality that is achieved by human effort plus the help and support of others. ... Dr John F. MacArthur, Jr. "The Gospel According To Jesus" Zondervan, 1988. [source]

Since 1998. Croatia has outstanding results in crossbow competitions, especially for ladies. One of the best competitors of the world for ladies is Branka Pereglin, champion of the world in 2002. and on several previous european and world competitions.

The Croatian alpinist Stipe Bozic (Split) climbed Mount Everest twice, the first time in 1979. See his beautiful photos at Fotoklub Split. The Croatian Alpine Association has a long tradition. It was founded in 1874, the same year as in France. Let us mention by the way that the oldest novel in the world about mountains is Planine (Mountains), written in Croatian by Petar Zoranic in 1536 and printed in Venice in 1569. It is also the oldest Croatian novel. Petar Zoranic was born in Zadar in 1508.

Blanka Vlasic, high-jumper, with her record jump of 2.07 (the second best in history, 2007), was Junior World Champion twice (Santiago, Chile, in 2000; Kingston, Jamaica, in 2002), and champion of XIVth Mediterranean Games in Tunisia, 2001. In 2007 she won the gold medal in Japan at the World Championship in Athletics, Osaka 2007. This is the first gold medal for Croatia in World Championships in Athletics, and one of the greatest successes in the history of Croatian sport.

At the Golden Spike IAAF World Athletics Tour Meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Branka Vlasic won with a jump of 2.00 meters (photo by REUTERS/David W. Cerny).

Winner of the 2007 Atheltic tournament in Shanghai

Blanka Vlasic in Gothenburg, Sweden (Getty Images)

World Championship in Athletics, Osaka 2007. Endelig lyktes det for kroatiske Blanca Vlasic i et mesterskap. I Osaka ble hun dronningen av hoyde.

Blanka Vlasic celebrating her victory with Croatian flag in her hands,
at the World Championship in Athletics, Osaka 2007, source CROWN

Click on the photo to see the movie (source docteur-es-sport.fr, France):

... avec commentaire en français (cliquer sur l'image)
Blanka Vlasic, la nouvelle reine du saut en hauteur, Osaka 2007

World High Jump champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia with her trophy after receiving the Waterford Crystal European Female Athlete of the Year Award for 2007 (on the left the President of European Athletics, Hansjorg Wirz) during a gala dinner at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, Malta, October 12, 2007. Photo by Reuters.

H O R S E S

Lucija in the village of Potkonje near Knin, at Hrvoje Pozar stud.
Photo by her mother Julija Vojkovic (on this web with kind permission)

Sinjska alka (The Sinj Alka) is a competition to the memory of the legendary 1715 victory over the Turks, where the town of Sinj near Split has been saved. According to the legend, the victory was attained due to the help of the Lady of Sinj (Gospa Sinjska). The aim of the competition, organized August 15th each year since 1715, is to pierce the ALKA with a spear, riding a horse at full speed (45 km/h). The alka is hanged on the rope at the hight of 3,22 m.

Photo by Julija Vojkovic (on this web with her kind permission)

Horses are very popular in various parts of Croatia, especially in the north (in Slavonia). The Djakovo stud existed already in 1506, and is among the oldest in Europe. It was visited by Queen Elisabeth II, Prince Philip, and Princess Margaret in 1972.

Queen Elisabeth II, Prince Philip, and Princess Margaret in Djakovo, Croatia, in 1972.
Photos from CROWN

The town of Djakovo was occupied by the Turks in the period of 1536-1667, and the stud was renewed in 1706. In 1806 it was moved to the nearby Ivandvor, where it is also today.

Also very famous were the Lipik Lipizzaners, which was the largest stud in Croatia until the Greater Serbian 1991-1995 aggression on Croatia.

More about horses... Mr Tony Santic (tuna farmer), Australian Croat born on the beautiful Croatian island of Lastovo, is the owner of a famous mare Makybe Diva. This strange name is an acronym, derived from the names of five ladies employed at Mr Santic: Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa. In 2005 Makybe Diva became the first horse in Australasian racing history to claim three Melbourne Cups and a Cox Plate.

Makybe Diva and Glen Boss with a Croatian cap
Photo by Sebastian Costanzo

The Boss with Croatian Coat of Arms and Makybe Diva
Photo by Wayne Taylor

Celebrating the victory

The winning jersey winning the hearts...

...and media

Mr. Tony Santic is in the middle, Glen Boss on the right (Makybe Diva missing),
with Croatian Coat of Arms on his jersey

Goooooooogling with Makybe Diva and with a Croatian hat ...

Horses in Croatian Art

We feel it necessary to mention Gari Kasparov, a famous Russian chess player, the former champion of the world. He played as a member of chess teams of Vukovar (in exile from 1991 to 1998) and Sarajevo.

Croatia has no tradition in hockey. However, one of the greatest hockey players of today is Joe Sakic, Canadian Croat. His both parents are from Croatia (his father is from Imotski, and mother from Lika). Joe contributed greatly to the final victory of Canadian national team at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City.

The leader of very important team responsible for computer support of Olympic Games is Boris Sakac, Zagreb, Croatia, in the course of many years, starting from Moscow Olympic Games held in 1980, till Athens in 2004.

Bill Belichick & Nick Saban, two Croatians - Coaches in the NFL (National Football League, USA), are very successful with their teams playing american football. Let us cite Bill Belichick: "...I think it just makes this division, which is already very tough, even that much tougher. You know, two Croatians in the division, Joe, that's not something you see everyday. [Laughter]..." (from an interview given to Joe Benigno and Sid Rosenberg WFAN, sports Radio 66AM New York, January 5, 2005).

Articles by Vedran Joseph Nazor, Croatian Chronicle, USA:

• Bill Belichick (Bilicic), 3 time super bowl coach
• Croatian Nick Saban, Coach of the Year – Led LSU to NCAA Football Championship
• David Diehl, #66 New York Giants

David Diehl, New York Giants, 2008, with Croatian Coat of Arms; photo from CROWN

Charles Billich is outstanding Croatian painter born in Lovran in Istria, and since 1956 working in Australia. He is Honorary Citizen of Atlanta, Centennial Olympic City, USA, since 1996. Billich was the official artist of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix Melbourne in 1996. In 1997 he was designated the official artist of the Australian and French Olympic teams for Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

Charles Billich
Bing Mah Yong Show
at
American Sports Art Museum

• Australian Olympic Committee Headquarters, Sydney
• International Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Selengor Turf Club Equestrian and Sports Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• United States Sports Academy
• QinShiHuang BingMa Yong Museum, X'ian, China

Tajana Raukar: GRACEFUL PREDATORS
(world champion medallist in Ice carving)
World Championship Alaska 2003

It is little known that Diego Maradona, Argentinean soccer player, had grandmother which was a Dalmatian Croat. One of his daughters bears the unique name - Dalma! I owe this information to the King of Dolls.

Croats at the Olympics, by Adam Eterovich, USA

Croatia - an overview of its History, Culture and Science