Croatian twin sisters win first European rowing medal
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Ivana and Josipa Jurković (Photo: Private album)
Croatian twin sisters Ivana and Josipa Jurković have enjoyed success on Sunday at the European Rowing Championship in Szeged, Hungary.
The Jurković sisters have won the bronze medal in the women’s double sculls event. They crossed the finish line with a time of 8:03.13 minutes, securing their first senior-level medal.
Initially fourth until the 1500-meter mark, the Jurković sisters surged ahead with a powerful finish in the last 500 meters to claim bronze. The gold went to Romania with a time of 7:52.05, while silver was claimed by Greece in 8:00.87.
Ivana and Josipa Jurković (Photo: Private album)
“It was intense, probably more so for the spectators than for us! We can say we sneaked into the last 500 meters, but then we showed our island’s blood and grit. We’re extremely satisfied; this is our first senior-level medal, and we’ll keep building from here,” said Josipa Jurković.
“Thanks to mom and dad, thanks to grandma if she watched the race, thanks to our family and friends, and thanks to everyone who supported us and believed in us,” added Ivana Jurković.
(Photo: Private album)
This medal serves as a strong indicator for the Jurković sisters ahead of the upcoming Olympic qualification regatta in Paris, scheduled for May 19th to 21st in Lucerne, Switzerland.
(Photo: Private album)
Meanwhile, Martin and Valent Sinković missed out on a medal at the European Championship. They finished fourth in the double sculls event with a time of 7:10.52 minutes, trailing behind the bronze medal-winning Swiss team by four seconds. The gold went to Great Britain with a time of 7:01.54, while Romania secured silver in 7:03.88.
“I can’t say the race went as we expected. After the qualifiers and semifinals, we hoped to be closer to the medal fight, but this is another lesson. We’ll take some rest now and continue preparing for the rest of the season and Paris,” said Martin Sinković.
(Photo: Private album)
“We’re definitely not satisfied with the race; we expected more. The first two races were better; we tried some new things, but this is a good lesson, sometimes you really need to see what doesn’t work. We’re still positive, we know we can improve, and we’re eager for further preparations. We believe in ourselves and we’re moving forward even stronger,” added Valent Sinković.
