February 16, 2022 - Croatian skier Samuel Kolega finished 15th place in the Olympic men's slalom on Wednesday, ahead of Croatia's best skier Filip Zubčić. 

Croatia's best skier Filip Zubčić placed 18th in the men's slalom at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Wednesday. 

"I did better in the second run; I had a better feeling. It will be better on camera as well. For me, the Olympics are over, not the most successful. However, there are still races until the end of the season, and we are moving forward optimistically," said Zubčić for HRT after the race.

After placing 10th in the giant slalom and now the 18th in the slalom, Zubčić did not show his best skiing at the Olympic Games.

"I'm not satisfied; it's not the best. I wasn’t even in the top 15 today, so I won’t get anything for the starting list; I might be in the second group in the slalom. So it is, as it is. I did my best. I didn't do well today on this track. I thought it would be much better," said Zubčić and added:

"I came here; I felt great. I skied well; the training went well. But unfortunately, the giant slalom was very bad, especially the first run. Tenth place doesn’t sound bad, but it sounds bad to me. I thought the slalom would be better, but it wasn’t."

He is now turning to new challenges in the World Cup.

"Five more slaloms and three giant slaloms until the end of the season. A lot can still be done; we need to rest and then train until the end of the season," concluded Zubčić.

"I can't complain. The second run was not the greatest, but I did my best. It was not the best ride, but enough for 15th place, those are points, and I am glad," said Samuel Kolega, today the best Croatian skier in 15th place.

Matej Vidović skied to 20th place.

"The track did not suit me, but the conditions are great, as well as the organization. Unfortunately, we didn't make it. I had a weaker first run, better second, but we were not close to where we would like to be," Vidović concluded.

Source: HRT

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February 13, 2022 - Swiss Marco Odermatt is the Olympic giant slalom champion. He celebrated in front of Slovenian Žan Kranjec (+0.19), and bronze medalist Frenchman Mathieu Faivre (+1.34). Croatian skiers Filip Zubčić and Samuel Kolega took 10th and 21st place.

Croatian skiers Filip Zubčić and Samuel Kolega took 10th and 21st place, respectively, in today's giant slalom race at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, reports Index.hr.

After the first run in which Zubčić was 15th and Kolega 24th, and then delays due to unfavorable weather conditions, the second race was held in better conditions, and in the final standings both improved their results. Marco Odermatt won in front of the sensational Slovenian Žan Kranjec and Mathieu Faivre.

Zubčić was extremely self-critical after the first run, said it was a disaster and announced that he would be entering the second race with a lot of risk.

"Catastrophe as you saw. I will not enter 30 at all!"

When asked if the severe weather conditions affected his ride, he replied:

"Certainly not, it affected it because I skied criminally, a disaster. This is the worst round in the last three years." And when asked what he needed to do in the second race to stay alive? "Nothing. I will go all-in, whatever happens, happens."

It paid off for him because thanks to the combination of his racing, the potential of being relegated from the competition, and the poorer performance of some skiers, Zubčić ultimately improved his ranking. Thus, he had the ninth time in the second race, which would have been better if he avoided a mistake in the upper part of the track that took away his speed and a few tenths of a second. However, he was the first to cross the finish line and depended on the results of the skiers who followed.

Marco Odermatt confirmed the best time from the first run with an overall victory with a time of 2:09.35, which overtook Kranjec by 19 hundredths of a second and Faivre by 1.34 seconds.

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February 12, 2022 - Filip Zubčić is after an Olympic skiing medal on Sunday as he awaits his first performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Croatia's female skiers have returned to Croatia after performing at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, but Croatia's biggest trump card for the medal is still awaiting his first performance, reports HRT. 

The giant slalom is scheduled for Sunday, and Filip Zubčić is among the main favorites for one of the medals.

"The snow is a little different because it is completely artificial. It’s nice to ski; I hope it will be icy during the race, that would be nice. We enjoy everything here," said Filip Zubčić in a conversation with Croatian Radio reporter Krešimir Gotlin.

Does different snow mean different preparation, for example, lubricating the skis a certain way?

"When the snow is cold, it doesn't play a big role. We have new skis, which they made for me for such aggressive snow and need to be tested to so we will dedicate ourselves to that. And try to feel good before the race. I’m fine right now and can’t wait."

Did Filip have enough time to adjust to the time difference?

"I have no sleeping problems. I was tired from the trip the first night, so I slept for a long time. It didn't seem that I was so tired, but I obviously was, as I slept for 11 hours," laughs Filip, whose good mood is not spoiled even by strict epidemiological measures.

"That's how it is; it's the same for everyone. One minute for the test after breakfast won’t ruin my day."

His competitive form is not timed just for the Olympics.

"My goal is to be in the best possible shape throughout the season. It would be stupid to concentrate on just one race. That is my philosophy."

After the giant slalom (on Sunday, 03:45h / 06:45 am), Zubčić will also perform in the slalom in which he's achieved excellent results this season, even better than in the giant slalom, which is his primary discipline.

"I feel great in both disciplines. Everyone knows that this season in the giant slalom, I have not yet made a result that would satisfy me, but I was close to the podium. Unfortunately, I failed; it would be nice to do it on Sunday."

Along with Zubčić, Matej Vidović and Samuel Kolega will ski under the Croatian flag in Beijing. They added briefly:

"The snow is a little strange, this is my first time in Asia, but I am pleasantly surprised. The organization is fine and all in all - the feeling is good. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to train in giant slalom; we will try and see how I will be in the race, but slalom is a priority, and we are definitely attacking it."

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January 9, 2022 - An excellent day for Croatian skiers as Filip Zubčić, Samuel Kolega, Matej Vidović, and Istok Rodeš win points in Adelboden, and Zrinka Ljutić records the first points in her career in Kranjska Gora!

Austrian Johannes Strolz recorded the first victory of his career in the Adelboden slalom, the third slalom of the World Cup this season. He was only seventh after the first run.

Filip Zubčić placed 15th, Samuel Kolega 21st, Matej Vidović 24th, and Istok Rodeš 25th.

For the 29-year-old Strolz, this was his 64th start in the World Cup races, in which his best placement so far was 10th place in the slalom at Madonna di Campiglio two years ago.

Second place (17 hundredths of a second behind) was taken by Strolz's compatriot Manuel Feller, who was also in second place in Saturday's giant slalom. Third place was German Linus Strasser, who was only 14th in the first run, 29 hundredths of a second behind the winner.

Another local skier Fabio Gstrein, who shared the leading position with Feller after the first run, failed to finish the race, as did fifth-placed Frenchman Alexis Pinturault.

The first to race of the Croatian skiers was Matej Vidović, who was 25th in the first run, 1.92 seconds behind Strolz.

Samuel Kolega started well, but his time increased by a second from the second to the third pass. In the end, he was 1.73 seconds behind, enough for 21st place and points in the World Cup for the second time in his career. Filip Zubčić started immediately after his colleague and with 1.03 seconds behind Strolz, he was 15th.

Istok Rodeš was 16th from the first run, but was the weakest of the four Croatians and, in the end, was two seconds behind the leader, dropping from 16th to 25th place.

Twenty-four skiers reached the finish line within one second of the first run. The first seven were shared by only 17 hundredths of a second, so there were big changes at the top in the second run. In the end, the seventh place from the first run celebrated, while 14th place won a spot on the podium!

After three slaloms in the new season, Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen are still in the lead with 140 points each, although they did not reach the finish of the first run in Adelboden, just like Frenchman Clement Noel, who has 100 points and shares third place with Johannes Strolz. Filip Zubčić is in an excellent sixth place with 91 points.

Swiss Marco Odermatt leads with 845 points in the overall standings, ahead of Norwegian Alexander Aamodt Kilde with 469 points. Zubčić is in 11th place with 214 points.

The skiers will stay in Switzerland, where they will ride four World Cup races in Wengen from Thursday to Sunday.

In other news, Petra Vlhova celebrated in the fifth of six women's slaloms this season. The great Slovak won first place in the Kranjska Gora slalom. In second was Wendy Holdener and Anna Swenn Larsson cam third.

Zrinka Ljutić won the first points in her career! After pushing into second in the dramatic finale of the first run in 30th place, Ljutić made a solid first career appearance in the second run and won 26th place. Leona Popović won 20th place and thus gained new points in the World Cup.

The third Croatian representative, Andrea Komšić, lost the second run by only six hundredths of a second. Nevertheless, she finished the first run in 31st place, which was not enough to lead to the second run.

With this victory, Vlhova is only 35 points behind the leader Shiffrin, and in third is still Italian Sofia Goggia with 657 points.

Source: HRT

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December 12, 2021 - Croatian skier Filip Zubčić achieved the best slalom result of his carer, placing third today in Val d'Isere!

Croatian skier Filip Zubčić was excellent in the World Cup in Val d'Isere on Sunday and achieved the best slalom result of his career in that discipline.

After placing 6th in the first run, the Croatian skier further improved his ranking at the French winter resort, finishing on the podium in third place. He was especially impeccable in the lower part of the track and entered the finish line as the first-place finisher.

Although he was unlucky on Saturday, a day later, Zubčić was brilliant in the first slalom of the season. Zubčić's best slalom ranking in the World Cup before this was fifth place.

"This is crazy. This is something I secretly hoped could happen this year, and here it is - now in the first race. I knew that I had progressed in slalom and that I could achieve the best results and I proved that today on one of the most difficult slalom tracks," said Zubčić after placing third in Val d'Isere.

Zubčić achieved this result after giving up on the giant slalom yesterday.

"The first run was great yesterday; the three of us separated, and I stumbled in the second run. I knew I had to take a risk from the start, I failed, but I stayed strong in my head. It didn’t depress me. I maintained a positive mentality, I rested and I knew that today was a new chance and race," said Zubčić.

Finally, the best Croatian skier reached the podium in slalom.

"Last year I always had a good first run, would screw up in the second, and would go into the third, fourth, fifth. But I wanted that to change. Today I was sixth in the first run, but I said to myself, yes, if I come in first, it could be the podium and in the end, it happened. Two people stumbled behind me, it's slalom, sometimes it's roulette," Zubčić concluded.

Matej Vidović also won slalom points and finished 19th in Val d'Isere.

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March 21, 2021 – From the Mamić brothers verdict on Monday to Dinamo's historic match with Tottenham on Thursday, here are TCN's five highlights of the week from March 15 to 21, 2021.

As we look back and review the top news in Croatia over the past week, we realize just how much can change – and even history can be made. For Dinamo's fans, this week's match with Tottenham will surely be one of the most significant games, as they secured a place in quarter-finals of the Europa League after more than half a century. But that is not the only good sports news from Croatia this week!

From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on the front pages of news portals in Croatia.

Highlights of the week: Mamić brothers verdict

At the beginning of the week, the news of the brothers Zdravko and Zoran Mamić verdict resonated with the public. Namely, the Croatian Supreme Court has issued a final judgment and confirmed prison sentences for the Mamić brothers, former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanović, and tax collector Milan Pernar.

Zdravko Mamić. Photo: Denis Kapetanovic/PIXSELL

Zoran Mamić and Milan Pernar were found guilty of reducing Mamić's tax liabilities and accepting bribes, and Zoran Mamić was also found guilty of giving bribes. Zdravko, Zoran Mamić, and Vrbanović are guilty of splitting the Dejan Lovren transfer and Zdravko Mamić for splitting the Luka Modrić transfer.

Zdravko Mamić was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. Four years and eight months in prison were given to his brother Zoran Mamić, who resigned as Dinamo coach after the verdict, just three days before a crucial match against Tottenham. Former Dinamo director Damir Vrbanović was sentenced to three years in prison.

Zoran Mamić. Photo: Marko Prpic/PIXSELL

Also, Zdravko Mamić must return 52 milion kuna. According to the verdict, Dinamo was damaged by 80 million kunas in total. The state will also take their other assets, namely property, and cars.

Highlights of the week: Dinamo tops Tottenham and writes history

Regardless of the events in Dinamo earlier this week, the players showed all the quality on the field on Thursday and beat Tottenham 3: 0 (3:2) in a historic match. Thanks to the incredible game of Mislav Oršić, who was later named UEFA player of the week, Dinamo secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after more than 50 years!

Mislav Oršić. Photo: Goran Stanzl/PIXSELL

Dinamo thus created the first-class sensation, and this match will be remembered for a long time. A big celebration of Dinamo fans Bad Blue Boys and players followed the game in front of the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Deservedly!

Dinamo fans and players celebrating after the match, Mislav Oršić in the air. Photo: Goran Stanzl/PIXSELL

Highlights of the week: The UK and Croatia tourist opportunities

Andrew Dalgleish, the British Ambassador to Croatia, visited Croatia this week to discuss tourism opportunities between the two countries with Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac.

As she pointed out, Croatia is ready to receive tourists from the UK, one of Croatia's most important tourist markets, as soon as the UK's epidemiological rules allow for that.

"We're pleased with the fact that the destination of Croatia is still perceived in the United Kingdom as high quality, desirable, and safe. A dialogue has been opened with the British side on travel facilitation modalities between the UK and Croatia," said Brnjac.

Photo: Romulić and Stojčić

She was even cited by the Daily Telegraph. Croatia's attempts to get the best out of the upcoming summer season are recognized by many other countries interested in traveling to Croatia.

Highlights of the week: Increasing number of new infections and citizens' dissatisfaction

As the pandemic rages on, the infection numbers started to grow again in Croatia, and now statistically younger people need respirators. With the increase in the number of new coronavirus cases that we witnessed this week, citizens' dissatisfaction with the current epidemiological measures has also increased.

To express their dissatisfaction, protesters gathered in five Croatian cities and protested against the measures, but also against the mandatory wearing of face masks.

Protest against epidemiological measures in Zagreb, March 20, 2021. Photo: Zoe Sarlija/PIXSELL

Organized by the Rights and Freedoms Initiative, Croatians in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, Šibenik, and Osijek thus supported the protests in about 40 countries worldwide under the slogan "World march for freedom, peace, and democracy."

Highlights of the week: Filip Zubčić wins second place in Lenzerheide

Croatia is truly a home to great athletes. As if we haven't seen big results in Croatian sport this week, Croatian skier Filip Zubčić took care of the even better end of the week, winning second place in the Lenzerheide Grand Slalom.

Zubčić had an excellent performance in the last giant slalom of the season. After ranking third place in the first run, he finally won second place, 20 hundredths of a second behind French skier Alexis Pinturault. In the overall ranking of skiers, Zubčić is fifth with 744 points.

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March 20, 2021 - French skier Alexis Pinturault is the winner of the giant slalom, while the fantastic Croatian skier Filip Zubčić wins second at Lenzerheide!

With this victory, Pinturault won the Small Crystal Globe in the giant slalom, but also secured the Big Crystal Globe intended for the overall World Cup winner, on his 30th birthday!

Filip Zubčić had an excellent performance in the last giant slalom of the season, who, after ranking third place in the first run, finally won the second place, 20 hundredths of a second behind Pinturault. Frenchman Mathieu Faivre came in third with only a hundredth of a second behind Zubčić.

The small crystal globe in the giant slalom thus went to Pintaurault, who has 700 points in the giant slalom rankings. In second is Swiss Marco Odermatt, today 11th, with 649 points, while Zubčić is in third place in the giant slalom rankings with 606 points.

In the overall ranking, Pintaurault secured first place and the Big Crystal Globe with 1200 points. In second is Odermatt with 1093 points and in third is Marco Schwarz with 774 points. Zubčić is fifth in the overall ranking of skiers with 744 points

This season, Zubčić has been on the podium six times in giant slalom races, and he has won twice, in Santa Caterina, Italy, and Bansko, Bulgaria.

More info soon...

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February 27, 2021 - Croatian skier Filip Zubčić wins the World Cup giant slalom in Bansko with a time of 2:20.62!

This is Zubčić's third World Cup victory in his career after Yuzawa and Santa Caterina. Frenchman Mathieu Faivre came in second place. 

Zubčić was even better in the second run after an excellent first run in which he came second. In the end, the second-placed Faivre had a time of 2:21.02, while in third was Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner with a time of 2:21.55. Frenchman Alexis Pintaurault, who leads in the giant slalom skiers' standings and was only fourth in the overall standings, was more than a second behind Zubčić.

"It was an amazing race and amazing skiing. I am happy and proud of my team. I am really happy that this happened in Bansko because I love this ski resort and the people ", said Filip after the victory.

Only three more giant slaloms are left, and Zubčić is only 22 points behind the leading Pintaurault. Tomorrow is a new giant slalom in his favorite Bansko.

"I always fight for the best positions. Pinturault may have been slower today in the second run, but there are three more races ahead of us," said Zubčić.

In the ranking of skiers in the giant slalom, Zubčić jumped to second place with 468 points, and Pintaurault has 22 more. In third is Odermatt who was sixth today with 445 points.

In the overall ranking of skiers, Pintaurault leads with 974, in second is Odermatt, and in third is Austrian Marco Schwartz with 692 points. Zubčić advanced four places and is now sixth with 584 points.

Filip has his next race tomorrow, also in Bansko, where another giant slalom is being run.

RACE TIMES:

1. ZUBČIĆ Filip 2:20.62

2. FAIVRE Mathieu +0.40

3. BRENNSTEINER Stefan +0.93

4. PINTURAULT Alexis +1.06

5. ODERMATT Marco +1.52

6. FELLER Manuel +1.63

7. FAVROT Thibaut  +1.77

8. MEILLARD Loic +1.82

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February 16, 2021 - Croatian skier Filip Zubčić won the silver medal at the World Championships in parallel giant slalom, a discipline in which medals were awarded for the first time.

This is the first World Championship medal for the 28-year-old Croatian skier and the first medal from this competition for Croatian skiing after eight years.

Zubčić knocked out German Stefan Luitz in the last 16, making up 23 hundredths of a second from the first run. In the quarterfinals, he was faster than the American Radamus River. He was 34 hundredths of a second behind on the blue track and 62 on the faster, red track.

In the semifinals, the Croatian skier was a maximum of half a second behind the Swiss skier Loic Meillard after the first run, and then in the second, he was faster by 52 hundredths of a second and advanced to the finals. Meillard eventually won bronze.

In the final, Zubčić fought against the Frenchman Mathieu Faivre, who had the advantage because he skied the second race on the red track. Zubčić helped Faivre because he made a big mistake in the first run and was 23 hundredths of a second behind. In the end, Zubčić was 48 hundredths of a second behind to win the silver medal. 

Apart from Zubčić, Istok Rodeš also competed in the morning qualifiers but failed to reach the round of 16.

"I'm happy and proud after today's race. My first medal at the World Championships. Unfortunately, it's not gold. I was a little angry when I entered the finish line. However, it's a really great result, so I have nothing to regret," said the Zagreb skier, who had the seventh time on the red track in this morning's qualifications, and only the top eight won a place in the final part of the competition.

"After qualifying, I wasn't too happy because I didn't ski very well, and I knew I had to ski a lot better in the final races, which I really did."

Filip thus became the fourth Croatian with a medal at the World Championships after Janica and Ivica Kostelić and Natko Zrnčić-Dima. Zubčić's silver is the tenth medal in total from the World Championships for the Croatian alpine team and the first after the combination silver of Ivica Kostelić from Schladming in 2013.

"The first medal after a long time for Croatia and a nice announcement for the other races that follow. On Friday, we have the giant slalom, on Sunday the slalom, so we are going to the next races with a lot of optimism," concluded Filip. 

Source: Index.hr, Gol.hr

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January 9, 2021 - Croatian skier Filip Zubčić wins second in Adelboden and achieved two second-place finishes, two days in a row!

For the second day in a row, and for the third time in his career in Adelboden, Filip Zubčić stepped onto the second pillar of the podium in the World Cup giant slalom race. Above him was only the incredible Frenchman Alexis Pinturault, who came to his third consecutive victory in this season's giant slalom, with just 26-hundredths ahead of the Zagreb skier.

Zubčić finished the first run in fifth place, just over one second behind the fastest - Swiss skier Loic Meillard. Zubčić was 72 hundredths slower than Pinturault, who had the second-best time.

With a traditionally aggressive and risky second run, Filip took the lead by beating the then leading Italian De Aleprandini by 80 hundredths of a second, which was the fourth-best time.

It was too difficult a task for Norwegian Alexander Aamodt Kilde and Swiss Marc Odermatt, who were better than Zubčić in the first run, but were almost half a second behind in the second.

Maestro Alexis Pinturault overcame the second race on the Chuenisbaergli slope without a single mistake and gave Loic Meillard a serious challenge.

The Swiss skier, who never won a giant slalom race, was on his way to second place, but made a big mistake in the middle of the course, completely lost speed and in the end, barely managed to reach third place with only a two-hundredths of a second advantage over compatriot Odermatt in fourth.

With his 33rd career victory and 17th in giant slalom races, Pinturault took the lead in the giant slalom standings with 440 points, 40 more than Odermatt. In third is Filip Zubčić, who reached 368 points on the seventh podium in his career.

The French skier also leads the standings for the Grand Crystal Globe with 675 points. Norwegian Aamodt Kilde is second with 560, and third is Odermatt with 501. Filip Zubčić is in fourth place with 455 points.

The skiers will fight for points in the slalom in Adelboden on Sunday, and Zubčić will be joined by the Croatian trio from Sljeme, Istok Rodeš, Matej Vidović, and Samuel Kolega. The first run is scheduled for 10:30 am, and the second at 1:30 pm.

Source: HRT

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