June 22, 2022 - Croatian gymnasts were brilliant at the recently concluded World Cup in Slovenia, with Ana Đerek winning two new medals (gold and silver) and Mateo Žugec securing gold on the pommel horse. A look at what's next. 

Ana Đerek won two new medals at the World Cup in Slovenia! After Varna (gold on the beam and bronze on the floor) and Osijek (silver on the beam and floor), she climbed the podium again. Ana claimed gold on the floor routine and won silver on the beam, continuing an incredible series - the third World Cup in a row this season with two medals each. Or even better, she is thrilled that she won gold twice for the fourth weekend in a row since the Croatian Championship between Varna and Osijek! 

The GK Marjan Olympian from Split finished 2nd in Slovenia on the beam, scoring 13,250. Only Hungarian Zsofia Kovacz (13,650) was better, while her compatriot Greta Mayer (12,450) won the bronze. The second Croatian finalist on the beam, Tina Zelčić (ZTD Hrvatski sokol), remained one step closer to the podium, finishing fourth with 11,700 points in her 3rd SK final in her career.

Ana Đerek's silver on the beam was her 18th medal in World Cup tournaments, but only a few moments later, she reached the 19th in her 33rd final, thanks to gold on the floor. She won it with a score of 12,900 and stood on the podium with silver medalist Poppy-Grace Stickler (12,750) and bronze medalist Greta Mayer (12,650). This is Ana's second gold this season after the beam in Varna and the fifth in her career at the World Cup. 

"Three World Cups in a row, six medals, and gold and silver. I really couldn't be happier," said Ana after listening to the Croatian national anthem in Slovenia.

"Things happened this time on my own, considering that I made a small mistake at the beginning of the exercise on the floor where I thought that I had dropped out of the fight for gold, but in the end, things turned out so well that even with that one mistake I won gold."

And the beam?

"I did the exercise without falling; I won silver… I am delighted because I haven't been training on the beam very well for the last few days. We haven't found a common language on this beam until today. And the warm-up was bad, so I have no comment. However, my effort and work returned very nice," Ana was grateful.

Mateo Žugec won gold on the pommel horse at the World Cup in Slovenia. The 20-year-old from Varaždin, a member of GK Vindija, won the second medal in his third World Cup final, and in just three weeks, he added gold from Koper to his silver medal from Varna.

Mateo, once the fourth junior in Europe (2020) and the fifth junior in the world (2019), is quickly profiling himself as a great senior who taught a lesson to many more experienced than himself and celebrated with 14,050 points (start 5.6) in the final. 

Slobodan Kadic

"I hold this gold medal in my hand and have no words. I can't believe that in only three appearances at the World Cups, I took silver and here, this time gold. I am happy with myself. I hope this will continue at the Mediterranean Games in Algeria, which are now waiting for me. And until then, we are going to celebrate this gold," said Mateo after the final, in which he stood on the podium with the silver medalist Ukrainian Peter Pahnjuk (13,750) and the bronze medalist Hungarian Krisztofer Meszaros (13,200).

Slobodan Kadic

The Croatia national team is now turning to the Mediterranean Games, where Tin Srbić, Jakov Vlahek, Mateo Žugec, Ana Đerek, and Tijana Korent compete. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

June 19, 2022 - Croatian gymnast Ana Đerek won two new medals at the World Cup tournament. After Varna (gold on the beam and bronze on the ground) and Osijek (silver on the beam and ground), she climbed the podium in Koper twice on Sunday.

She gilded the ground floor and won silver on the beam, continuing an incredible series, the third SK in a row this season to win two medals each, reports 24sata. Or even better, she is thrilled for the fourth weekend in a row, since she had the Croatian Championship between Varna and Osijek, where she won gold twice.

The Olympian of the GK Marjan from Split opened the "vintage" in Slovenia with 2nd place on the beam with a score of 13,250. Only Hungarian Zsofia Kovacz (13,650) was better, while her compatriot Greta Mayer (12,450) was bronze. The second Croatian finalist on the beam today, Tina Zelčić (ZTD Hrvatski sokol) remained one step closer to the podium, she is fourth with 11,700 points in her third SK final in her career.

Ana Đerek's silver on the beam was the 18th medal in the World Cup tournaments, but only a few moments later she reached the 19th in her 33rd final thanks to gold on the ground floor.

She won it with a score of 12,900, and stood on the podium with silver medalist Poppy-Grace Stickler (12,750) and bronze medalist Greta Mayer (12,650). This is Ani's second gold this season after the one on the beam in Varna, but also the fifth in her career at SK.

''Three World Cups in a row, six medals, today gold and silver, I really couldn't be happier'', said Ana.

''Things happened this time on my own, considering that I made a small mistake at the beginning of the exercise on the ground floor where I think I thought that I had dropped out of the fight for gold, but in the end, things turned out so well that even with that one mistake I won gold'', she added.

The Croatian national team is now turning to the Mediterranean Games, and Tin Srbić, Jakov Vlahek, Mateo Žugec, Ana Đerek, and Tijana Korent, their coaches Lucijan Krce and Miroslav Končarević, and judges Dunja Lederer and Ratko Vuković will travel to Algeria on Wednesday.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

May 29, 2022 - Ana Đerek won two medals at the World Cup in Varna on Sunday!

First, she won gold on the beam, and soon after she won the bronze on the floor! After Mate Žugec's silver medal yesterday on the pommel horse, Croatia returns from Bulgaria with a set of medals, which is a great announcement for the World Cup in Osijek, which awaits us from June 9 to 12.

The Split double Olympian and member of GK Marjan already in the qualifications on Friday showed that she is more than ready for the international season. In her first competition this year with both new exercises both on the beam and on the floor, she reached the finals with the third-best scores. And then today in the finals she shone even more.

Slobodan Kadic

Ana Đerek won gold on the beam quite convincingly, with a score of 13,300 ahead of silver medalist Maise Kuusikko (13,000) and bronze medalist France's Aline Friess (12,450).

Slobodan Kadic

"I am very pleased, overjoyed, and proud to have shown what I did today. This is my first gold at the World Cup on the beam and while the anthem was playing there were tears of joy. This gold on the beam came after a hard period of training. Since the beginning of the year, on the one hand, I have been training on the beam so much, and on the other hand, I hate her so much that this came to me like a fool's dance. The reward for all these months of fighting with ‘do I need this device, why am I doing it so much, why is this not going to get better’… I am so proud because I have a new jump. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year ‘you’re going to do a D jump on the beam’, I would have said ‘well you’re crazy, I don’t have that in me’. In the end, I have the only jump in this competition. I am most proud of that," said the double medalist from Bulgaria.

Soon after one podium, another came. Bronze on the floor with a score of 12,900. France's Aline Friess (13,000) celebrated, while the silver medalist was Greta Mayer (12,950).

"I could have been better, I have better exercises, but to say I'm dissatisfied would be crazy. I did the exercise again, with minor mistakes, but since I had the beam before which tested me both mentally and physically, I pulled out the floor again. As tired as I was, 12,900 is a good grade, bronze is too good a medal. I'm satisfied."

In her career, including Varna, Ana has competed in 29 World Cup finals and has won 15 medals. Croatian gymnastics, on the other hand, has improved its overall numbers and our women's gymnastics currently has 123 finals at World Cups - 7 gold, 16 silver, and 15 bronze medals.

“I hope that this start of the season will not be all I will do in 2022. I am aware that I still have a lot of competition, a lot of opportunities, and that a lot of work still needs to be done so I can end the season and say I am satisfied. But this start is great, great, great!"

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

October 29, 2021 - The 30th Team, All-Around, and Individual Croatian Gymnastics Championships, with almost 500 athletes from all over Croatia were held on Sunday, beginning with the women's absolute program at the Osijek City Garden Hall.

Double Croatian Olympian Ana Đerek (GK Marjan) became a two-time Croatian champion by winning gold on the beams (13,050) and floor (13,350).

Slobodan Kadic

“I finished the last competition this year which was full of competitions and I think they were all done successfully. When I look back, I wouldn't change anything. I have very few stumbles this year. Now again after a break from the World Cups and the Olympics I have shown two good exercises - 13,050 on the beam and 13,300 on the floor. I did both exercises really well and I am very satisfied. I came to perform in two disciplines and I won gold in both. I am overjoyed because it is really two difficult weeks for me and because of my obligations in college and life, training, everything. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow, and then I have a few days off. I am ready for a vacation more than for anything else," said the double champion Ana Đerek.

Slobodan Kadic

The all-around champion in the senior competition is Christina Zwicker (ZTD Hrvatski sokol) who collected 49,550 points, silver is Petra Furač (GK Sokol Karlovac) with 48,950, and bronze Ira Benčinić (GK Rijeka) with 36,900 points. Zwicker also won 4 more individual medals - gold on uneven bars (12,250), silver on the beam (12,800) and floor (11,850) and bronze on the vault (12,075).

Slobodan Kadic

"I can proudly say that I am the all-around champion of Croatia. I am still gold on the bars, silver on the beam and the floor, and third on the vault. I am going home to Zagreb with 5 medals, which I am overjoyed with, especially because this competition was after the World Championships in Japan when the top form had actually passed. Admittedly, I have more one competition this year, at the Hungarian Open. They invited me to be part of their team. I am proud that they chose me," said Zwicker.

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July 25, 2021 - It is the third day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo which has already revealed some great results for Croatia. Namely, canoeist Matija Marinić is in the semis!

Croatian athletes will compete in boxing, gymnastics, sailing, canoeing, swimming, table tennis, archery, tennis, water polo, and rowing.

Croatian gymnast Ana Đerek did not make it to the finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

After three of the five subdivisions, Đerek is in 46th place on the beam with a score of 11,633, while on the floor, she is 34th with a score of 12,433. Only the eight best qualify for the finals.

Croatia sailing team member Jelena Vorobjeva took an excellent third place in the Laser Radial class after the first two races of the Olympic regatta held near Kamakura. The next two races are scheduled for Monday.

Croatia wildwater slalom canoeist Matija Marinić won a place in the semifinals with the fifth-best result in the qualifications.

Marinić had the fifth-best result in both runs and was slightly faster in the second run (99.66 seconds), but he got a two-second penalty for touching the 11th goal, so the overall result of the first run (100.33) was better, and he was counted for the final ranking.

Rower Damir Martin won in his single scull quarterfinal group and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic Games.

Martin completed the course in 7.17.71 minutes, leaving the Hungarian, Japanese, Peruvian, Czech, and Kazakh rowers behind by at least seven seconds. In the last 500 meters, Damir rested and kept his strength for the semifinals, scheduled in three days.

Croatian shooters Petar Gorša and Miran Maričić failed to qualify for the finals of the 10-meter air rifle discipline.

Croatian table tennis player Andrej Gaćina finished his fourth appearance at the Olympics in the 2nd round of the individual competition, after being defeated by left-handed Frenchman Emmanuel Lebasson 4-0 (6, 8, 10, 11) in 38 minutes.

Next up, we await the results of Donna Vekić and doubles team Ivan Dodig and Marin Čilić in tennis and Croatia water polo, which faces Kazakhstan at 12:50 pm. Sailor Tonči Stipanović will compete once the conditions are better. 

Source: HRT

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ZAGREB, 13 June, 2021 - Croatian gymnast Ana Đerek won the gold medal in the women's floor exercise and the bronze medal in the balance beam exercise while Tin Srbić won men's high bar gold on Sunday, the last day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek.

Đerek and Srbić's medals put the total number of medals won for Croatia at World Cup competitions at 382 - 274 for men's gymnastics and 108 for women's gymnastics.

Nina Derwael of Belgium won the gold in the women's balance beam exercise while Diana Varinska of Ukraine won the silver.

Marlies Männersdorfer of Austria won the silver in the floor exercise and Elina Vihrova of Latvia won the bronze.

In the men's high bar, the silver went to Krisztian Balazs of Hungary while the bronze went to Adem Asil of Turkey.

On Saturday, Aurel Benović of Croatia won the silver medal in the men's floor exercise.

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June 10, 2021 - The gymnastics spectacle in Osijek can begin! Everything is ready for the 12th edition of the DOBRO World Cup in gymnastics, which will host 140 athletes from 31 countries from Wednesday to Sunday (June 10-13) in the Gradski vrt hall.

"We have some more small details to finish, but in general everything is ready, most teams came, stayed in hotels, accredited, passed all the COVID procedures that we received from the World Gymnastics Federation and all those epidemiological measures that are currently in force in the Republic of Croatia. The hall and the whole production are 99% ready. We are all looking forward to the start of the competition. The figure of 31 countries is one of the best in terms of attendance at gymnastics competitions in the world this year. 140 competitors are coming. We also have a lot of those who are interested in the highest medals at the Olympic Games because Osijek is the last international stage in the preparations for the Olympics in Tokyo, so the competition will be very interesting for Tin, Aurel, Jakov, Filip Ude, our girls ... very interesting to follow the outcome of this competition. However, we as the Croatia national team also expect a lot from the DOBRO World Cup. It is no secret that we are expecting podiums, and all our national team members will want to show themselves in the best world at home," announced the director of the competition and vice-president of the Croatian Gymnastics Association, Vladimir Mađarević.

Slobodan Kadic

Let us remind you that Croatia has won as many as 30 medals in Osijek since 2009.

At this year's tournament, the Croatia national team will consist of Tin Srbić (horizontal bar), Aurel Benović (floor and vault), Filip Ude (pommel horse), Jakov Vlahek (pommel horse), Filip Boroša (floor), Ana Đerek (floor and beam), Tijana Korent (vault), Christina Zwicker (beam and uneven bars) and Sara Šulekić (uneven bars).

All of them attended the last press conference today before the start of tomorrow's competition. On Thursday at 3 pm, Benović and Boroša on the floor, Ude and Vlahek on the pommel horse, Korent on a vault, and Zwicker and Šulekić on uneven bars will be in the qualifications. On Friday, Srbić will be on the hunt for the finals, Benović on the vault, Zwicker on the beam, and Đerek on the beam and the floor.

Tin Srbić (gold in Osijek 2017 and 2018, bronze 2016):
"I am ready for my last check before going to the Olympics in Tokyo. I'm in great shape, we're training great. If I have to go to the Olympics tomorrow, I'm ready! Osijek will be a simulation of Tokyo for me, an exercise that I will do here, 6.2, I will also do in Tokyo. I hope to qualify for the finals so that I can try out the 6.5 exercise we are training to be ready for the Tokyo finals, which I hope. I didn’t watch the competition here. There are no strongest who will be in Tokyo. There is last year's European champion Tvorogal, but I do not see this "defeat" in Mersin as something big since I did not consider the EP very important given the whole epidemiological situation, the number of countries that came, and the trial there. I don't bother with that. I know I'm better than him. I’m not saying he’ll never beat me because I can screw up too, but if we both do the exercises, I’ll always be better than him. He’s definitely a big competitor, he does great exercises, but I repeat, if we both do ours, I’m realistically better. I have had back problems for a long time, it has been worse in recent weeks, but it is getting better. Yesterday I did exercise 6.2. I didn't think it would go this much better, but it is going."

Slobodan Kadic

Aurel Benović:
"I am not under pressure to perform in my city. I’m sorry there shouldn’t be an audience in the hall this year, but I hope that as early as next year, the fans will refill the City Garden. I expect a good performance, I am sure that none of us members of the Croatia national team will let down all those who will watch us on small screens thanks to the broadcast of HRT. I am happy that I won gold at the World Cup in Varna ten days ago with my strongest exercise. I hope that I will be able to do the same in Osijek. I didn’t study the competition, I just heard it was going to be strong, like every year. I was happy when I heard that Artem Dolgopjat had come, I look forward to meeting him again. He beat me at the EP last year, I beat him now in Varna. We will see how it will be in Osijek. The legendary Marian Dragulescu is also here, I am honored to perform with him. He is a gymnastic icon. Still, at 41, he shows that he can still perform challenging acrobatics and difficult elements on the jump. I will also perform on the vault and I will be honored to stand next to him."

Filip Ude (gold in Osijek 2014, bronze 2010 and 2013):
"I am and I am not ready. I’m not in the shape I wanted to be in, due to a shoulder injury, but in the last 2 weeks, I’ve done my best to make it OK. We are already used to Osijek being our competition, that our people can see us there and I am glad that it is so. I hope that one day a world or European championship will come to Croatia. I have not studied competition in Osijek, I never do that, I do not fight with anyone, it is not martial arts or some contact team sport. This is more of a mental sport. If you don't beat yourself, unfortunately, you won't beat anyone."

Slobodan Kadic

Ana Đerek (gold in Osijek 2019):
"For me, this is the last competition before going to the Olympics in Tokyo, which is only a few weeks away, so I am in good shape. I’ve been doing my best in training lately, because Tokyo is close, but also because this World Cup means the most to me. I trained well, and I hope that the results will follow. About 10 days ago we were at the World Cup in Varna, I competed for 4 days, I won 2 finals, I know physically that I am in shape, but you know how it is in sports, it takes a little luck to get to the finals, and then whatever. I had a small accident before coming here, from one state to another, I traveled from Split to Osijek for 2 days. Namely, before Zagreb, the tire on our car burst, we crossed a metal part that was on the road and cut our tire. Fortunately, neither I nor coach Miroslav Končarević had any other issues. But while the towing service came to pick us up, while they took us to the service station, so they didn't have tires ... My coach is still in Zagreb waiting for the tires, and I came to Osijek with the Zagreb team. But nothing rattled me before the performance. It wasn't that scary. I’m more sorry we’re going to perform without spectators this year. The audience is the No. 1 favorite thing of this World Cup. They are something special. But everything is going in the direction that we will soon return to normal life."

Slobodan Kadic

Tijana Korent (silver in Osijek 2009, bronze 2010):
"Given that in Varna 10 days ago the final escaped me by 0.001 points, which is partly discouraging, I hope that I will make up for that crumb in this competition and that I will fight in the final on Saturday. I have silver and bronze from Osijek, I would not complain about completing medals ... But, considering the competition here, it will be difficult. Although, when you’re in the finals there’s always that factor that we all often forget, and that’s luck. It's not all about training. We can be in great shape, but if just a little bit of luck is missing, it doesn't have to turn out well."

Christina Zwicker:
"I'm ready. I don't have too many goals in terms of results, just to do both exercises the way I know how to train. The competition here, thank God, is very strong. However, the Games are at the door and everyone came here, and there is always a perfect organization, hall, everything, so it is clear to me why all the best always come to Osijek. It's simple, everyone here feels perfect."

Sara Šulekić:
"I don't have any additional anxiety. Although I am still a junior by age, this will be my third competition in a row among the "big girls" and I am slowly adjusting. I hope that I will be able to perform my exercise the way we do in training, and that is the only thing that matters to me here for the first time."

Slobodan Kadic

Jakov Vlahek:
“Just three days ago, I landed from Egypt where I won silver at the World Cup in Cairo, but honestly, I’m not tired. I have been waiting for five years to get the opportunity to perform in Osijek and I am really happy to be here. I hope that I will be able to repeat the good performances from Cairo."

Filip Boroša:
"First of all, it is a great honor for me to be part of the Croatia national team in Osijek and to have the opportunity to perform here for the first time. I am sure that each of us on the team will do our best not to disappoint and to justify our colors."

The ceremonial opening of the competition is on the program on Saturday at 12.45, and both final days, will be live broadcasts from Osijek on HRT 2.

Follow the Livescore results at the link https://osijekgym.com/rezultati/

All information about the DOBRO World Cup can be found at the link http://osijekgym.com/

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

Croatia’s best female gymnast Ana Đerek won the gold medal at the World Cup competition in Osijek after a brilliant floor performance, while the best Croatian male gymnast Tin Srbić finished sixth after falling during his routine, reports HRT on May 27, 2019. 

In the final, Đerek achieved a high score of 13,033 for her routine, which was more than enough for first place. 

This was Đerek’s third appearance before the Osijek audience where she achieved her best result. Along with her excellent performance on the floor, Ana placed fourth in the final of the balance beam. With this result, Ana surpassed her previous best placement in Osijek - fifth place on the floor in 2015.

To win the medal on the balance beam, the Split gymnast missed by only 0.034 points.

“I went into the finals as the first, so there was a chance to stay in first, but I did not think I was going to succeed. This is my first medal, and I did not think it would be the gold right away. I'm so happy! Of the four exercises, these were four good performances. Really… even the final beam was better than the qualification. I managed to stay focused and repeat it all. I'm thrilled and proud of myself. The audience is incredible here. You only feel something like this once in a lifetime,” said Đerek after the triumph.

With the same number of points in second place in the standings was Ukrainian gymnast Angelina Radivilov who, despite a higher starting point, had a weaker performance than Ana. The bronze medal on the floor was awarded to the Romanian gymnast Alexandra Mihai (12,933).

As far as the balance beam is concerned, the first place was awarded to Ukraine's Angelina Radivilov (13,333), while second and third were achieved by Romanian gymnasts Carmen Ghiciuc (13,100) and Alexandra Mihai (12,667).

The second Croatian representative in Sunday’s final was the current European finalist Tin Srbić who performed his new exercise, which needs to be at its peak in the second part of the season for the World Cup in Stuttgart. This was also Tin’s first appearance after winning the silver at the European Championship in Poland.

Unfortunately, Srbić did not reach his third consecutive gold in Osijek. At this year's edition of the World Cup, Tin came in sixth with a score of 12,933 thanks to a fall at the beginning of the exercise.

“That’s gymnastics. I rarely make mistakes, but it's an indication that everyone makes mistakes, it happens. I love to perform in front of a full auditorium; it's even more exciting to me. The problem is when you're not in shape, then gymnastics cannot really help. I have experienced and realized this now. I've set too high expectations, and went to do the toughest exercise. The fall happened at the beginning of the exercise, making it very difficult to move on. I'm glad I managed to get to the end of the exercise without falling. I'm really happy to have garnered the courage for this tough exercise,” Tin Srbić said.

The best score of the DOBRO World Cup in Osijek this year was achieved by Russian Aleksej Rostov (13.733). The silver medal also went to Russia, to Aleksander Karcevo (13,600), while the bronze medal went to the Cypriot gymnast Georgiou.

Croatia thus participated in six big finals at this year's edition of the World Cup in Osijek, and gold medals were won by Robert Seligman on the pommel horse and Ana Đerek on the floor. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

19-year-old Split gymnast Ana Đerek won the gold medal at the World Cup in Baku over the weekend. 

Croatian Olympic Team got even bigger this weekend, as two gymnasts qualified for the Rio Games