May 28, 2022 - What a day for Croatian rowers! The Sinković brothers and Jurković sisters are in the Rowing World Cup finals tomorrow! 

Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković had another good race on Saturday and won in their semi-final group for a spot in the World Cup finals tomorrow!

With a time of 6:15.97, they took first place in the group, ahead of Poland and Great Britain. The final race is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:53 am. 

The brothers commented on the semi-final race: 

"We finished the semi-final race, it was interesting and combative. Not we can say that we are maximally satisfied with our performance. I think in training it was even better, but the race is always something else. The Poles really good crew and we knew it was going to be a fight to the end," said Valent Sinković

"A little different than usual, we broke them only in the finish. The start was really good, but we are not completely satisfied. But that's also good because
we have room for improvement. We hope that the result will be the same tomorrow - and yes we will be the first and the Poles the second. Let's fight to the end and hope to row even better," said Martin Sinković

Sisters Ivana and Jurković took second place with a time of 7:20.16 in the rematch and secured their place in the finals tomorrow, too! The Danish crew took first place with a time of 7:16.74. The final race is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:07 am.

Anton and Patrik Lončarić failed to reach the finals, taking fifth place with a time of 6:49.73. The crews of Serbia, the Netherlands, and Great Britain secured a spot in tomorrow's finals. 

Bravo to Croatian rowers and let's hope for even better results in the finals tomorrow! 

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May 27, 2022 - At the first World Rowing Cup in Belgrade, the Sinković brothers secured a direct place in the semifinals with the fastest time in their group.

They were ahead of the Dutch crew by 4 seconds and the Belgian crew by 15 seconds. The semi-final race is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:25 am, and the brothers will immediately face the Poles who had the fastest time in the second qualifying group. 

"We did the first race, it was definitely not according to plan. It was a bit chaotic, in the first 500 I caught up first, then Martin so we were behind by a lot. But we said let’s fight to the end and we won. In the end, we are satisfied with the race!" said Valent Sinković.

"Nothing went according to plan, except that we won according to plan. It’s good that it happened now, not in the semifinals or the finals when we still couldn’t catch the competition. The group was a bit lighter than the others though, so we managed to get back. I hope that we will do the remaining two races the way we know, the best we can and that we will take the medal in the end!" said Martin Sinković

Sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković took second place in the women's double sculls in the qualifying race, but it was not enough for a direct place in the finals, so they will try to win their place in the finals on Saturday morning at 9:50 in the rematch. Brothers Anton and Patrik Lončarić took fourth place in the qualifying race, and through the rematch, they managed to reach the semifinals, which are scheduled for Saturday at 10:11.

Dora Dragičević achieved the fourth time in the qualifying race and tried to reach the finals through the rematch, but she took the fourth place again with a time of 08: 12.52.

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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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June 6, 2021 - Wonderful news ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo as the Sinković brothers win the gold medal, the Lončarić brothers the bronze, and the Jurković sisters the silver at the World Rowing Cup III in Sabaudia, Italy! 

Brothers Valent and Martin Sinković won gold in coxless pairs in the third regatta of the World Rowing Cup in Sabaudia on Sunday, while brothers Patrik and Antun Lončarić took third place.

The Sinković brothers celebrated convincingly with a time of 6:16.79. Second place was taken by the British crew Calvin Tarczy and Douwe de Graaf, a little more than six seconds behind. Patrik and Antun Lončarić took third place with 6:25.89.

"There's no beating the Sinkovic brothers this year. Another dominant win for Martin and Valent - they will be the crew to beat in Tokyo, no doubt about it," said the World Rowing Twitter account after the win. 

This is a great result for both Croatian crews, especially for the Sinković brothers, for whom this was great preparation ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which begin on July 23.

Even better news - the Jurković sisters won second place in the World Cup race. This is a historic success of Croatian sport because never in the history of a medal have two pairs of siblings won a medal in the same competition!

The great Damir Martin will race a little later today. Stay tuned! 

Source: Index.hr

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May 1, 2021 - The Sinković brothers and Jurković sisters have won gold in the coxless pairs at the Zagreb Rowing World Cup!

Brothers Valent and Martin Sinković won the gold medal today in the coxless pairs discipline at the Rowing World Cup held at Zagreb's Jarun Lake, and sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković won the gold in the women's competition in the same discipline! 

Ivana and Josipa Jurković were the first to perform in the final in which they were the fastest, winning with a time of 07:11.12. The second place was taken by the Czech team Anna Santruckova and Paulina Famlikova (7:16.43), and the third by the French duo Maya Cornut and Emma Cornelis.

The Sinković brothers celebrated convincingly in coxless pairs with a time of 6:2.55. In second were Frenchmen Thibaud and Gauillaume Turlan with 6:28.39, and in third were Spaniards Jaime Canalejo Pazos and Javier Garcia Ordonez with 6:29.57.

"The race was phenomenal, firstly it was at home, everything is known, and secondly when we went out on the water people were cheering and when the race started it was wonderful to paddle. The last 500 m everyone was by the fence and cheering us on, it is a truly unique feeling," said Martin Sinković.

His brother Valent agreed. "The race was wonderful. We heard cheering the whole race, all credit to everyone and I invite you in two years to repeat this same thing," Valent said.

Damir Martin eventually took third place in the singles final. The silver medalist five years ago in Rio de Janeiro held third place for almost the entire course of the race behind the great German Oliver Zeidler, who dominated the victory, and the Norwegian Kjetil Borch, who finished second.

Already in the middle of the track, Zeidler had a 3.55-second advantage over Borch, or 5.38 seconds ahead of Martin. 500 meters before the finish the situation was almost identical - Zeidler led with 3.03 seconds ahead of Borch, or 5.04 seconds ahead of Martin to enter the finish line with 4.51 seconds ahead of the Norwegian, or 5.59 ahead of Croatia's representative.

Croatia's coxless fours Ivan Piton, Marko Ukropina, Anton and Patrik Lončarić won the bronze!

The first place was taken by the French crew with a time of 5:59.88, in second was the Polish side with 6:01.40, and the third place was taken by Piton, Ukopina, and the Lončarić brothers with a time of 6:02.25.

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