November 9, 2021 - You may know everything about the Sinković brothers, but how much do you know about the Croatian twin rowing team, Josipa and Ivana Jurković, otherwise known as the Jurković sisters?

The Jurković sisters are Croatia representatives competing in the coxless pairs discipline. They are the current European and World U-23 champions and overall winners of the 2021 Senior World Cup.

"We are completely different; you would not know that we are twins. I’m more into sports, and she’s more modern things. Even though I sometimes like to put on make-up, nothing will stand in my way if I put my head to something. If she and I decided to break up a workout and try for our 'personal best', we would do it no matter the weather. Because we have that type of mentality," said Ivana for HRT.

About the advantages of being twins in a sport like rowing:

"I think it's a plus for both sisters and brothers because we know each other. And the fact that we sometimes quarrel because we are always together is normal, and it only elevates us," said Josipa.

"When the race is over, I feel exactly when she is in crisis, I know exactly when I have to tell her something. And that is the advantage of our relationship - that we are sisters and know each other at heart," added Ivana.

How did they get into rowing?

"We started rowing a long time ago. A friend encouraged us in 2011 when we had been training handball for five years. We immediately won a bronze medal in the first regatta. That’s how it became fun for us," Josipa said.

Where are they from, and how are their training conditions?

"We are from Vela Luka on Korčula. When the day came when we were world and European junior champions in 2017, and we no longer had the conditions, unfortunately, we had to move to Zagreb to continue rowing with the best and create Croatian rowing history," said Ivana.

How much effort does it take to achieve results and to be able to compete with the best?

"We can fight with the best. But, you have to grit your teeth and go your own way. Otherwise, there would be no success," explains Josipa.

"They told us that when girls get into rowing, your shoulders broaden and so on. We currently have no blisters or wounds. But we prefer more blisters because then we see that we are doing well. If there are no blisters and blood, then something is not good," Ivana added.

Finally, the Jurković sisters spoke about the Sinković brothers and hopes for the future:

"The Sinković brothers should be a role model for everyone. Therefore, we tip our hats and hope that we will be able to be even close to their success one day. We hope that we will be able to qualify for Paris and be the first women's team in that discipline at the Olympic Games," concludes Ivana.

You can watch the full video on HRT.

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July 11, 2021 -  The. Jurković sisters are the latest Croatian rowing sensation, taking home the gold medal at the U23 World Championships held in Račice, Czech Republic.

Vela Luka natives and twin sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković won the title of world champions in the coxless pairs at the U23 World Championships held in Račice, Czech Republic.

The Jurković sisters, members of VK Trešnjevka, led in the finals from start to finish and finished in 7:17.20 minutes. The silver went to Americans Caitlin Esse and Lucy Koven who recorded 7:19.79, and the bronze to Germans Lena Sarassa and Hannah Reif with 7:22.39,  reports Vecernji List.

"Winning gold has been our dream since we started rowing together. The bond between the two of us as twins is something that can be hard to explain. In Croatian rowing, brothers and sisters are the secrets of success, the best-kept secret," said Ivana after the triumph.

The Jurković sisters were also the overall winners of the World Cup in this discipline, but they still failed to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo. The Jurković sisters were world champions for the first time in 2017, then as juniors, but in the coxless fours together with Bruno Milinović and Izabela Krakić.

Patrik and Anton Lončarić from Osijek, world junior champions from 2017, also competed in the finals of the coxless pairs, but they were left without a medal, finishing in fourth place. The Lončarić twins passed the finish line in a time of 6:40.94 minutes, 3.38 seconds after the bronze was won by Turks Kaan Aydin and Aydin Sahin. The gold was won by Britons Calvin Tarczy and Douwe De Graaf with 6:30.73, and the silver by Lithuanians Dovydas and Domantas Stankunas with 6:33.46.

Ivan-Ante Grgić and Patrik Papac did not make it to the finals of the doubles, as they finished fifth in their group in the semifinals.

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