July 27, 2021 - Australia tops Croatia in game 2 of Group B at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

After brilliantly defeating Kazakhstan in game 1, Croatia and Australia met in the second match of Group B in Tokyo.

1st Quarter 

After incredible saves on both sides, Croatia had their first real chance from a penalty with 5 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. Joković scored after VAR ruled the ball in for 1:0 Croatia. 

Howden equalized for Australia at 1:1 with 4:34 on the clock. Former Split Jadran player Nathan Power scored for the Australia lead (1:2). Aidan Roach made it 1:3 for Australia 2:08 left on the clock. 

Loren Fatović scored for 2:3. Obradović equalized for 3:3 with 17 seconds left.

2nd Quarter

Four minutes into the 2nd quarter and neither team was able to score. Andrew Ford scored for Australia with 2:09 left on the clock for 3:4. Richie Campbell increased Australia's lead to 3:5 with 1:25 left. 

The 2nd quarter ended 3:5 for Australia.  

3rd Quarter 

Richie Campbell scored the first goal of the 3rd quarter for 3:6 Australia. Putt scored for 3:7 with 4:36 on the clock. Loren Fatović finally scored for Croatia to make it 4:7. 

Joković scored a penalty for 5:7. Joković scored for 6:7 with less than a minute to go. 

4th Quarter

Campbell opened the final quarter with a goal for 6:8 Australia. Younger scored for 6:9 Australia. Edwards scored for 6:10 Australia. 

Luka Bukić finally scored for 7:10, but Australia came back for 7:11. Bukić scored again for 8:11, which was the final score of the game.

Croatia plays Montenegro next on Thursday. 

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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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July 24, 2021 - Croatia gymnastics at the Olympic Games are off to a flying start, as Tin Srbić finally learned he would compete in the final on August 3, 9 hours after he competed on Saturday. 

Croatian gymnast Tin Srbić advanced to the final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. He finished third in the qualifiers with a score of 14,633, reports Index.hr.

Srbić competed in the first subdivision, after which he took first place, but in the second subdivision, Japan's Daiki Hashimoto (15,033) and Kazakhstan's Milad Karimi (14,766) were better than the 2017 world champion. Finally, in the third subdivision, no one was better than Srbic; only the USA's Brody Malone came close, who finished fourth with a score of 14,533.

"It was quite tiring because we had to wake up very early, come to the hall 2.5-3 hours before competing, so part of the warm-up and waiting was quite tense. Nevertheless, I pushed through because, after all, this was my first Olympic appearance. But before the exercise itself, when I looked at the Olympic rings again, I said to myself, "well, I guess I won't be scared now." I used my head, and I did very well, and in the final, I will attack with an even stronger exercise," said Tin immediately after his performance. His coach Lucijan Krce added:

"I am satisfied with Tin's exercise; he had an excellent performance. Of course, we both felt the pressure of the Olympics, but he still managed to do a very good quality exercise and get a pretty high score."

The final, which is scheduled for August 3, will also include Russia's Nikita Nagonji (14,466), Japan's Takeru Kitazono (14,433), Australia's Tyson Bull (14,433), and Holland's Bart Deurloo (14,400).

There will be no Kohei Uchimura of Japan and Epke Zonderland of Holland in the final. Uchimura, who won gold in the all-around from London 2012 and Rio 2016, decided to compete in Tokyo only on the bars, but with a score of 13,866, he took 20th place and ended his career on Saturday. Flying Dutchman Zonderland, the Olympic winner in London, three-time world champion, and three-time world runner-up, took 23rd place with a score of 13,833.

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July 3, 2021 - Ivana Maranić received an invitation to Tokyo to compete in the Games for the first time at 29. The Croatia judo team will have three representatives at the Olympics for the first time in history! 

The International Judo Federation (IJF) sent an invitation letter to participate in the Olympic tournament to the Croatia national team member Ivana Maranić in the over 78 kg category, reports HRT.

Maranić, a member of JK Panda from Zagreb, was seventh below the line for participation in Tokyo on the first list of the IJF. Still, due to injuries and the cancellation of better-ranked competitors, she received an invitation for her premiere performance at the Olympics at the age of 29. Thus, for the first time in history, Croatia judo will have three representatives at the Olympics, before the right to participate was secured by the world champion Barbara Matić (up to 70 kg) and Karla Prodan (up to 78 kg), members of JK Pujanke from Split.

Maranić is the winner of the world junior bronze medal from 2010. She works with coach Goran Strmotić and welcomed the news from the EJU training camp in Poreč.

"Huge luck! So many different feelings and thoughts in my head! Proud, happy, excited. After so many challenges and work, performing at the Olympic Games will be the crown of everything," said Maranić.

Croatian judo was represented by Marijana Mišković (up to 63 kg) and Tomislav Marijanović (up to 81 kg) at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and Barbara Matić (up to 70 kg) in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Numerous Olympic, world, and European champions are preparing for Tokyo at the camp in Poreč. Along with Barbara Matić, the current world champion Belgian Matthias Casse is also looking to focus and polish his form for a quality performance in Japan. Furthermore, the current Olympic winners from Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Czech Lukas Krpalek and Slovenian Tina Trstenja, are in Poreč preparing to defend their gold, and the European champions Belgian Toma Nikiforov, Kosovars Akil Gjakova, and Distria Krasniqi want new successes in Tokyo. 

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April 14, 2021 - The Croatia Olympic uniforms have been presented 100 days before the Games occur in Tokyo this summer! 

In anticipation of the Olympic Games in Tokyo (July 23 - August 8, 2021), the Croatian Olympic Committee (COC) marked a hundred days before their opening with a short ceremony in the area next to the Zagreb fountains.

The event was organized following current epidemiological measures. It was enhanced by Japan's ambassador to Croatia, HE E. Misako Kaji, Vice President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Sanda Čorak, the experienced rowing Olympian Damir Martin and two debutants - taekwondo fighter Kristina Tomić and swimmer Franko Grgić.

"We must be aware that it took extraordinary effort and perseverance of athletes and their coaches, clubs, and federations, all to ensure an Olympic appearance. We are looking forward to the Games in Tokyo, regardless of the unusual circumstances. The most important thing is that a whole generation of athletes will get a chance to realize their sports dream, and we are especially looking forward to the performance of our representatives," said the vice president of the Croatian Olympic Committee and president of the Croatian Judo Federation Sanda Čorak.

The light effects above the fountain sent a message of togetherness on the way to achieving Olympic continuity by holding safe Games this summer, and white lanterns were released as a symbol of good luck for the Tokyo Games.

"The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games start in 100 days. Despite everything, the organizers and hosts from the local community are working hard to prepare for the Games. They are held as a symbol of diversity and global unity, proof of overcoming the pandemic and rebuilding the country after earthquakes and tsunamis. Viewers around the world will participate in the Tokyo 2020 Games through IT technologies. Well done to the Croatian Olympians and Paralympians; let's head to the sun! The cities of Tokamachi and Marugame, as well as the whole of Japan, await you warmly," is the message of Ambassador Kaji.

The Olympic hero from Rio 2016, Damir Martin, returned to the rowing elite after an injury.

"I am a big supporter of holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo, even if they are the most unusual so far. If they did not take place, many athletes would go eight years without achieving their Olympic ambitions. That is why I am preparing for the Tokyo Games with great optimism, and I believe in their success. I also believe that I will be personally successful in my third Olympic appearance," said rower Damir Martin, who is also the Croatian Olympic Committee vice president.

In addition to participating in the event as ambassadors of the COC's "To the Sun" campaign, Olympic debutants Kristina Tomić and Franko Grgić, together with Damir Martin, promoted the 4F Olympic collection for the Tokyo Games. Praising the Olympic collection, they emphasized its airiness and elasticity.

The Croatian Olympians will perform in Tokyo in the dynamic equipment of the Polish company 4F, with recognizable red and white checkers of various sizes. Attention was also paid to Japanese symbolism, such as the motif of a circle (in this case - the rising sun) on zippers and size labels. Due to the Tokyo climate, fabrics of reduced weight were used, with a well-thought-out design and choice of colors for the female and male collection.

"When it comes to athletes' performances at the Olympic Games, we are aware of the importance and the smallest details. That’s why we’ve focused on lightweight materials with high breathability, which ensures great comfort when used. When designing and creating the collection, we did not forget to consider the issue of sustainability, hence the high percentage of recycled materials in the collection, mostly European production," explained the chief designer of the Olympic collection Wojciech Harus.

Marking "100 days to Tokyo", the Croatian Olympic Committee organized a photoshoot of Olympians at the Zagreb Fire Brigade as a link between firefighters' exceptional efforts during last year's earthquake in Zagreb and national sports heroes. On that occasion, more than 20 Olympians premiered the new Olympic collection for Tokyo, and all of them rated it as very high quality and comfortable to wear.

One hundred days before Tokyo, Croatia has 40 Olympic candidates (from 11 sports), 28 in individual sports, and 12 in team sports (water polo). A dozen more individual athletes are expected (cycling, boxing, judo, karate, archery, tennis) and possibly another team - basketball. The optimistic estimate is that around 65 athletes will wear the new Olympic collection 4F at the Tokyo Games - Together to the sun. 

Source: HOO

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