May 28, 2023 - The Sinković brothers have done it again, this time winning the gold medal at the European Championships in Bled!

Croatian rowers Martin and Valent Sinković won the gold medal at the European Championships in Bled on Sunday morning.

In the doubles final, the Sinković brothers won yet another European gold with a time of 6:07.00, which is a record at the European Championships. In a great finish, they left the Italians Luca Rombladi and Matteo Sartori behind (6:08.25). The bronze was won by the Dutch crew, made up of Stefan Broenink and Melwin Tweellar (6:10.74).

Sisters Josipa and Ivana Jurković were also in the medal fight in the coxless pairs category. The Croatian rowers took fourth place in the final with a result of 7:08.55. The gold was won by the Romanian crew with a time of 6:56.40. The silver was won by the Dutch crew (6:57.56), and the bronze was taken by the Spanish crew (7:03.56).

The Croatian rowing sisters started the race well. Before the last 500 meters, they held third, but in the end, the Spanish rowers stepped up, leaving the Jurković sisters without a medal.

Brothers Anton and Patrik Lončarić performed in the B final today and were tenth overall. They were fourth in their group with a time of 6:38.46, while the Swiss team, including Roman Roeoesli and Andrin Gulich won the gold (6:22.34).

Damir Martin is 11th overall after finishing fifth in the B singles final with a time of 7:25.88. 

Source: 24 Sata

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May 7, 2023 - Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković won the double sculls gold medal at the World Rowing Cup, which is held at Jarun Lake in Zagreb.

They led from the start of the race, followed closely by Spaniards Aleix Garcia Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero, who eventually finished the race in second place.

The Sinković Brothers achieved a time of 06:16.74, and in the end, the Spaniards were a little less than four seconds behind. In third place was the Serbian crew of Aleksandar Beđik and Aleksandar Filipović.

"This is our first victory this season; there is no better audience, no better athletes than Croats. I'm still emotional; this is wonderful. Our city, our audience. Thank you all. We knew the Spaniards would be fast; they were second in the world, but this proves that we are still better. As agreed, we hit the finish line in the end. Thank you once again to everyone who came to cheer us on," said Martin Sinković for HRT.

Valent added:

"This is something special; we will remember this for the rest of our lives. We have never experienced this, such a thrashing in the last 200 meters that my heart is full—everything we did paid off. Guys, thank you. Everywhere we looked, our fans supported us from the start, but in the last 200 meters, when we heard that noise, we decided to step up even more. This is great." 

Sisters Ivan and Josipa Jurković finished the race in third place in coxless pairs. Three crews competed in the final, and first place was taken by Spaniards Aina Cid and Esther Briz Zamorano (7:16.49). Czech representatives Radka Novotnikova and Pavlina Flamikova won silver (7:17:22), and the Jurković sisters took third place (7:36.73).

Brothers Patrik and Anton Lončarić took fourth place in coxless pairs (06:38.81). Swiss team Roman Roeoesli and Andrin Gulich won gold (06:30.98).

Source: HRT

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July 10, 2022 - Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković have taken first in the men's double sculls final at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne!

After being the fastest in the semi-final race on Saturday, the Sinković brothers achieved another victory with a result of 6:07.19! Second place was taken by the Australian crew of David Bartholot and Caleb Antill (6:08.10). Aleix Garcia Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde Romero from Spain (6:08.56) took third. 

Fourth place was taken by the Lithuanian crew (6:10.03), fifth by the British crew (6:11.44), while the Serbian crew finished last with a time of 6:15.53.

The Croatian rowers were ahead from the beginning of the final race and took the lead in the fight where the Australians David Bartholot and Caleb Antill were a serious and constant threat.

However, at every passage, from 500 to 1000 and 1500 meters to the finish line, the Sinković brothers were slightly ahead of the Australians. They repelled all their attacks, kept a constant fierce rhythm, and in the end celebrated with a winning time of 6:07.19.

The famous Croatian rowers have thus won the first and second World Cup and secured the title of overall winners even before the regatta in Lucerne. 

Croatia's sister rowing team Ivana and Josip Jurković won fifth place in the coxless pairs final in Lucerne.

The Jurković sisters rowed the 2000 m section in 7:11.92 minutes. The New Zealand crew won with a time of 6:56.51. Silver was won by the Romanian crew (6:56.62), and bronze by the Great Britain crew  (7:00.76).

Ivana and Josipa Jurković started the race well and were in third place on the first pass at 500 meters. They then fell to fourth and fought until the end with the Czech crew, who nevertheless finished fourth (7:00.74), while the Croatian crew had to settle for fifth. Only the Canadian women placed behind the Jurković sisters.

More soon... 

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July 9, 2022 - The Sinković brothers rowed well yet again in the World Cup semi-final race to secure the Lucerne World Rowing Cup final! They crossed the finish line with a time of 6:12.16, leaving behind the crews of Lithuania and Great Britain.

Martin and Valent controlled the race from start to finish and gave the impression that they could have increased the pace if needed, but with a safe and tactically excellent race, they left their strength for the most important thing, which is Sunday's final, scheduled for 14:01. 

In addition to the Sinković brothers, the previously mentioned crews of Lithuania and Great Britain won a spot in the final, while the crews of Australia, Serbia, and Spain made it to the final from the second semi-final group.

"A safe victory was enough; we felt good throughout the race. The British crew squeezed by at the beginning, and the Lithuanians at the end had reverse tactics, so they surprised us a little, but we did our job and didn't bother our opponents. Tomorrow in the final, we will have to work even harder, the Australians have proven to be very good, and we believe it will be a great race," said Valent Sinković.

"We learned through the qualifications and semi-finals to build technique and speed, and tomorrow we will have to row the best race, and we believe we will. Therefore, we hope that we will win tomorrow and that we will celebrate the overall victory with three victories in all three World Cups," said Martin Sinković.

In addition to the Sinković brothers, sisters Ivan and Josipa Jurković will compete in the coxless pairs final on Sunday, scheduled for 10:05 am.

Sunday is thus the big final day, and according to everything seen, Croatia's rowers have the chance to bring many more medals to the already impressive rowing collection! 

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June 18, 2022 - The Sinković brothers continue to impress this season, booking a spot in the Rowing World Cup final on Sunday in Poznan!

Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković convincingly won a place in the double sculls final at the second World Cup in Poznan!

In their semi-final race, which we can call the final before the final, the Sinković brothers won with a time of 6:13.29, ahead of the Polish crew (6:15.46) and the Dutch crew (6:16.24). In the second group, the crews of Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands also won a spot in the final.

"We are very pleased with the race. We felt good, we controlled from the very beginning and showed what our best rowing is. There is still room for progress in the final, but it was a strong group and we believe that the Dutch and the Polish crews will be the strongest in the competition tomorrow," said Valent Sinković.

“We expected one tough race from the start, and in the end, it was controlled from the start. We are very satisfied, we enjoyed rowing, tomorrow we are going to row even better and we hope to win!" said Martin Sinković.

The final race is scheduled for tomorrow, June 19 at 11:38, and you can follow the race on the official website www.worldrowing.com

Just a few weeks ago, the Sinković brothers won a gold medal in Belgrade. With a time of 6:09.26, they won the gold medal in the double sculls at the 1st World Cup rowing competition in the Serbian city. With a great finish in the final 250 meters, they defeated the leading Poles and entered the finish line with just over a one-second advantage. Third place went to the Spaniards who were 3 seconds and 26 hundredths of a second behind.

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May 29, 2022 - The Sinković brothers have won the World Cup rowing gold medal in Belgrade!

Martin and Valent change disciplines, lakes, and competitions, but not their winning spirit.

With a time of 6:09.26, they won the gold medal in the double sculls at the 1st World Cup rowing competition in Belgrade! With a great finish in the final 250 meters, they defeated the leading Poles and entered the finish line with just over a one-second advantage. Third place went to the Spaniards who were 3 seconds and 26 hundredths of a second behind.

"This was an interesting final race, tense until the very end. We started well in the first 1000 m, it was a good feeling even though we were not 100% physically ready for the last two days, but we did our best in the finish, we pulled out our maximum and managed to win. It is even more beautiful when it is so tense until the very end, so we are overjoyed with the victory!" said Valent Sinković.

"There is no easy victory! I have had problems with an intestinal virus for the last two days, and ten days ago we were both sick, so we are overjoyed that we still managed to win. I think that we can still progress physically and technically and I believe we will because there is no easy victory! We have to train even harder and we hope that we will be at 100 percent in Poznan and row better than today," said Martin Sinković.

"More tense races await us, an even stronger season, some crews yet to come like the French who are Olympic winners. We will definitely have to strengthen for the second part of the season, especially for the European and World Championships, but we are ready and we are going to train further!" added Valent Sinković.

It has been a full six years since the Sinković brothers won the unforgettable Olympic gold in Rio in the double sculls discipline. They then moved on to coxless pairs in which they also experienced an Olympic triumph last year in Tokyo, and have now returned to double sculls, in which they were absolutely invincible from 2014 to 2016. The Sinković brothers still hold the world record in the double sculls discipline from Amsterdam in 2014, when they crossed 2,000 meters in 5:59.72, which has not been surpassed to date.

Sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković took fifth place in the coxless pairs final race.

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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.

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

February 1, 2022 - As part of the presentation of Croatia at the world exhibition in Dubai, an interactive event called 'Croatia inspiring Champions' was held with the presence of famous Croatian athletes such as Sandra Perković, Blanka Vlašić, and the Sinković brothers.

In order to promote the Republic of Croatia as a country of sports and a small country of great world success, this event was attended by famous Croatian athletes and medal winners at major world competitions, such as rowers Martin and Valent Sinković, athletes Sandra Perković and Blanka Vlašić, handball player Mirza Džomba, football player Stipe Pletikosa, and basketball player Gordan Giriček, reports tportal.hr.

Athletes opened the EXPO Sustainability portal and participated in a number of outdoor sports challenges together with visitors at the Sport, Fitness & Wellbeing Hub location.

''I am honored by the invitation and it is a great honor for me as a professional athlete to represent ''Our Beautiful'' at the EXPO 2020 Dubai. This is a great opportunity to show the world who we are and that we Croats are born winners, not only in sports but also in other jobs we do. There are sports legends here, but Croatia has many of them. Also, I would like to wish good luck to our Olympians who will defend the Croatian colors at the Winter Olympics'', said Sandra Perković, two-time Olympic, two-time world, and five-time European discus throw champion.

It was a fantastic socializing event with champions and sports legends attended by guests from all over the world who, regardless of their age, tried their best at sports activities with our celebrated athletes and brought home unforgettable memories in addition to the official T-shirts of the event.

''I feel special when I represent my country at such a big event, especially because I am an active athlete. Fortunately, we are currently out of competition, so we managed to come to Dubai and present Croatia to everyone as the best country in the world. We all know that it is, and now all those who were here were able to share it'', said Martin Sinković.

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December 22, 2021 - Olympic taekwondo gold medalist Matea Jelić and Olympic sailing silver medalist Tonči Stipanović were named Croatia's best athletes in 2021 by the Croatian Olympic Committee,

The awards were presented at the Great Day of Croatian Sports celebration in the Crystal Hall of The Westin in Zagreb.

In addition to the Olympic gold in Tokyo, Jelić also won the European champion title. In addition to winning the Olympic silver again in the Laser class, Stipanović also won the bronze at the World Championships in Barcelona. Interestingly, both were named Athletes of the Year in 2020 when Jelić shared the award with judoka Karla Prodan.

Jelić won the award in the competition of nine athletes, while Stipanovic was up against 11 competitors.

"It is a great honor for me to receive this award; I am aware of the great name of the athletes who stood here before me. I hope that in the years to come, I will prove that I am worth even more," said the young Matea Jelić from Knin.

Slobodan Kadic

"Last year, I was also named the best athlete, but everything was online. So I just now saw how beautiful all this is. I hope to win this award for a few more years," Matea added with a smile.

Stipanović pointed out that he was proud of winning the award against strong competition.

"I am proud of this award. I know that it was not easy for the COC, despite all these great results, in such a successful year for Croatian sports," Stipanović emphasized.

"I hope that during the next Olympic cycle, I will have another opportunity to address you from here," he added.

According to the Croatian Olympic Committee criteria, rowing brothers Martin and Valent Sinković, Olympic winners and European champions in the coxless pairs and overall World Cup winners, defeated the best tennis pair in the world, Olympic and Wimbledon winners Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić, in the selection for the best pair, relay or crew.

Slobodan Kadic

Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković were among the award winners for the 11th time in the last 12 elections. From 2010 to 2013, they won the award three times as part of the trophy foursome and eight times as doubles (three times in doubles and five times in coxless pairs). In addition, Pavić and Mektić were awarded the prize for "the greatest sports promoters in the world."

"I want to thank coach Bralić because, without him, we would not be able to win all these years," said Martin, adding: "It was something special, another Olympic gold, but we are still hungry for the future."

His brother Valent wanted to thank those he had never thanked before:

"The mission of the Croatian Olympic Committee, the people who are with us at the Olympics. They make sure we don’t miss anything, and sometimes it’s not easy with us athletes. Especially in this pandemic year."

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