Croatian carp anglers become world champions

(Photo: Croatian Sport Fishing Federation),

It was a memorable weekend for Croatian sport fishing at the 24th World Championship in Carp and Grass Carp Fishing.

The Croatian carp angler team won gold, whilst Dalibor Banaj and Hrvoje Jakopčević won silver in the pairs competition. To top if all off, Goran Ožbolt also became a double world champion in casting in Spain.

This year’s world championship was held for the first time in Croatia, in the town of Našice.

The event took place at Lake Lapovac and Lake Šandor, and was organised by the Croatian Sport Fishing Federation, with the local club Šaran Našice serving as hosts.

Once again, Croatia proved to be an excellent host, organising the championship to a high standard. Thirty countries from four continents participated, including the USA, South Africa, and Kazakhstan, alongside European nations.

The competition began on Wednesday, 7th September, at 12:30 pm, running continuously for 72 hours. The closing ceremony, with medal and trophy presentations, took place on Saturday in the sports hall of King Tomislav Primary School, in front of a large local crowd.

In addition to being great hosts, the Croatian carp fishing team demonstrated their dominance in this discipline, winning the team world gold medal.

“Our most decorated pair, Dalibor Banaj and Hrvoje Jakopčević, not only contributed to the team’s gold but also secured an individual world silver medal,” the Croatian Sport Fishing Federation said.

Croatia claimed the gold with a total catch of 443.55 kg, followed by Moldova in second place with 339.08 kg, and Belgium in third with 263.00 kg.

The Croatian team consisted of Dalibor Banaj, Hrvoje Jakopčević, Mislav Belančić, Denis Novosel, Ivan Milković, Dino Mandić, Ivan Medić, Josip Brkljačić, coach Goran Jandroković, delegate Darko Glumac, and captains Damir Ladnjak and Ivica Brnjić.

(Photo: Croatian Sport Fishing Federation),

In the pairs competition, the world champions were the Ukrainian pair Patsera and Suzdaltsev, with a total of 236.11 kg. Dalibor Banaj and Hrvoje Jakopčević secured second place with 189.86 kg, while Belgium’s Delffiere S and Jeuieaux V took third with 147.78 kg.

Notably, the Croatian pair Mislav Belančić and Denis Novosel finished in fourth place, missing out on world gold by just 12 kilograms.

Dalibor Banaj and Hrvoje Jakopčević (Photo: Croatian Sport Fishing Federation),

This is an exceptional achievement for Croatian carp anglers, who have been waiting for the team gold medal since 2014, when they last won it in Italy. With this result, the Croatian team has cemented its status as the most successful in the world in this discipline.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the Croatian casting team competed in the World Championship from 3rd to 8th September in Castellon. Representing Croatia were Goran Ožbolt, Marko Popović, Marino Turk, Grgur Lutz, Ena Guba, and coach Denis Zbašnik.

Croatian competitor Goran Ožbolt won two world titles. He dominated the Arenberg discipline, winning gold, and added another gold in the Skish weight category.

Goran Ozbolt (Photo: Croatian Sport Fishing Federation)

The Croatian team finished seventh overall out of twelve nations.