Croatian Athletics in Trouble: Only 11th Place at European Team Championships in Maribor!
Is this really a national team or just a group wandering the track? The Croatian athletics team is sitting at a disappointing 11th place after day one of the European Team Championships second division in Maribor. Yes, you read that right – 11th out of 16 teams!
Where are the heroes?
Our team consists of 36 athletes, including well-known names like Sandra Elkasević and Sara Kolak. But apart from Sandra Elkasević, who was the only winner on day one with a stunning discus throw of 62.87 meters, the rest seem lost in the crowd. Sandra left far behind Denmark’s Lisa Brix Pedersen (58.88 m) and Turkey’s Özlem Becerek (54.34 m). Kudos to her, but what about the others?
Results that sting
Marko Čeko was fourth in the long jump with 7.58 meters, Natalija Švenda was fourth in the 400m hurdles (57.08 seconds), and Veronika Drljačić placed fifth with a personal best of 51.72 seconds. Sara Kolak, our Olympic champion, finished sixth in the javelin throw with 56.97 meters. The rest were even weaker: Matija Gregurić was seventh in hammer throw (70.65 m), Nina Vuković eighth in the 100m (11 seconds), and Roko Farkaš ninth in the 100m (10.63 seconds).
And that’s not all! Jan Ferina was ninth in shot put with 17.46 meters, Marko Orešković tenth in the 400m (46.53 seconds), and Lovro Šourek eleventh in the 400m hurdles (54.44 seconds). Tomislav Novosel and Tea Faber took 12th places in their events, while Magdalena Perić and Ema Cetušić Jakopović were 13th in long jump and pole vault. Filip Mrčić and Vita Penezić finished 16th in high jump and 100m respectively.
What’s going on with Croatian athletics?
This is not the result we expect from a country with a rich sporting tradition. Is the problem in preparation, motivation, or something else? The top three teams get promoted, and the bottom three relegated. Croatia is currently at risk of staying stuck in the middle or even dropping lower.
Conclusion
The Croatian athletics team needs to wake up! One win by Sandra Elkasević is not enough to cover the weaknesses of the rest of the team. If we want to get back to the top, drastic changes and a serious approach are needed.
What do you think? Is this just a bad day or a sign that Croatian athletics is in crisis? Drop a comment, share your thoughts, or just crack a joke about the results – because hey, sports are also for fun, right?
