The moments that defined Croatian sport in 2025

Zrinka Ljutić (Photo credit: Erich Spiess / Red Bull Content Pool)

ZAGREB, 23 Dec (Hina) – The outgoing year has once again brought a wealth of success for Croatian athletes at international competitions around the world, and it will be remembered in particular for the achievements of skier Zrinka Ljutić, Croatia’s handball and football teams, sport shooters, swimmers and rowers.

Ljutić wins season slalom title

Zrinka Ljutić will remember 2025 as the year her dreams began to come true. The Zagreb native secured her first victories in last season’s World Cup and went on to win the Slalom Crystal Globe, being the best in  the slalom in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.

In Semmering, Austria, on 29 December 2024, she achieved her first World Cup win with a remarkable 1.75-second lead over second-placed German skier Lena Dürr. A week later, Zrinka triumphed again in front of many Croatian fans in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and on 30 January she claimed her third slalom victory in Courchevel, France.

The 21-year-old from Zagreb became the third Croatian to win the Slalom Crystal Globe, joining Janica and Ivica Kostelić.

Handball team world vice-champions, farewell to team captain Domagoj Duvnjak

The biggest sporting event in Croatia was the Men’s Handball World Championship, hosted by Croatia alongside Denmark and Norway from mid-January. The tournament brought a silver medal for the Croatian handball team, as well as a wave of euphoria across the country similar to that seen during the football team’s successful campaigns.

Poreč’s Žatika, Varaždin’s Arena, and Zagreb’s Arena were the venues for the championship, and the Croatian handball team played all of its matches up to the final in Zagreb.

In the final in Bærum, Norway, an unbeaten Denmark proved stronger than Croatia, winning 32-26.

Medal Ceremony, 29th IHF Men’s World Championship 2025, Baerum Oslo, Norway, 02.02.2025, (Photo credit © Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff)

The national team received an euphoric welcome in Zagreb, while the team’s captain Domagoj Duvnjak decided to end his national team journey.

“Vatreni” secure spot at 2026 World Cup with most successful qualifying campaign

The Croatian national football team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup, alongside Rijeka’s double triumph, marked the highlights of the football year.

Croatia stormed through Group L of the European qualifiers, securing a place at the World Cup to be held next summer in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

In eight matches, the team led by coach Zlatko Dalić achieved seven wins and one draw, earning 91.6 % of available points, the most successful qualifying campaign in the nation’s history.

“Vatreni” remained unbeaten in World Cup qualifying for only the third time. The first was on the way to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and the second during the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Ivan Perišić

Glasnović brothers and Cernogoraz win team gold in trap shooting at World Championships

For nearly two decades, Croatia has been a world power in trap shooting, thanks to brothers Josip and Anton Glasnović and Giovanni Cernogoraz. This trio confirmed their high quality and longevity at this year’s World Championships in Athens, where they won team gold with 368 hits — seven more than the silver-winning Americans and bronze-winning Czechs.

At the World Shotgun Championships in Athens, the best Croatian sport shooter Josip Glasnović went on to claim the individual world champion title in that discipline.

At the European Shooting Championships in Châteauroux, the Glasnović brothers and Cernogoraz won silver in the team competition, finishing behind Italy and ahead of Turkey.

Wrestler Kodrić wins World Championship bronze, boxer Veočić takes bronze at World Championships

This year has been exceptionally successful for Croatian wrestling.

From 13 to 21 September, Zagreb hosted the Senior World Championships, and the home advantage was best utilised by 25-year-old Petrinja native Karlo Kodrić, who won a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman style in the 82-kilogram category, securing only the fourth medal for Croatia at World Wrestling Championships since independence.

Before him, only the Žugaj twins, Nenad and Neven, had won medals: Nenad a bronze in 2010, Neven a bronze in 2011 and a silver in 2014.

The most heartening news for Croatian wrestling came at the end of the year, when Ivan Huklek was awarded an Olympic bronze more than four years after the Tokyo Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Zurab Datunašvili’s appeal over a doping violation, annulling his results from Tokyo, where the Georgian with Serbian citizenship had defeated Huklek in the bronze medal match.

This made Huklek the recipient of Croatia’s 48th Olympic medal in summer Games since independence.

In boxing, 24-year-old Gabrijel Veočić won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Liverpool in the 80-kilogram category. This marked Croatia’s first world medal in boxing in 20 years.

Croatians in other martial art sports also successful

The most important competition for judokas was also the World Championships, held in Budapest in June. Croatia was delighted when Lara Cvjetko won a silver medal in the 70-kilogram category. For the 24-year-old Cvjetko, who arrived in Budapest as the world number one in her category, this was her second World Championship silver.

At the World Championships in Taekwondo in Wuxi, China, Matija Črep of TK Iona won bronze in the 68-kilogram category.

The Sinković and the Lončarićs become European runners-up in the coxless four

Rowing in 2025 was highlighted in Croatia by a newly formed coxless four, composed of brothers Martin and Valent Sinković and Patrik and Anton Lončarić. At the end of May, they achieved a major success — a silver medal at the European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

This was the crew’s first competitive outing, and for the Lončarić brothers, it was their first medal at a senior-level event.

Sinković brothers, Martin and Valent (centre) and Anton and Patrik Lončarić (Photo: Private album)

Hribar European champion in 50m Freestyle, silver in 100m freestyle, and bronze in relay

Croatian swimming waited until the end of the year for its greatest successes in 2025.

From a Croatian perspective, the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland, deserve the highest praise. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were won, and the hero of the championships was 21-year-old Jere Hribar.

In the 50-metre freestyle final, Hribar became European champion, equalling Duje Draganja’s national record with a winning time of 20.70 seconds. This marked the 13th gold medal for Croatian swimming at Short Course European Championships, and the first in 15 years. The last Croatian European champion had been Sanja Jovanović.

Before that gold, Hribar took silver in the 100-metre freestyle, setting a new national record, while the first medal in Lublin was won in the men’s 4x50m freestyle relay final. The bronze-winning Croatian team consisted of Jere Hribar, Nikola Miljenić, Božo Puhalović, and Luka Cvetko. Croatian swimming had waited 16 years for a relay medal.

Before Lublin, the last medal for Croatian swimming had been in 2016, when Matea Samardžić won bronze in the 200m backstroke at the European Championships in a 50-metre pool.

Aria Dinata wins Croatia’s first major badminton medal

Until April 2025, Croatia had not won any medals at the top badminton competitions. That changed at this year’s European Championships in Denmark, where Aria Dinata claimed a bronze medal in the men’s singles. The 22-year-old player, born in Jakarta, moved from Indonesia to Croatia in 2023 and became eligible to represent the Croatian national team in 2024.

Croatian karateka Sgardelli defends European title, gold also for Ivan Kvesić

The first major karate competition of the year was the European Championships in May, held in Yerevan. Croatian Ema Sgardelli won the gold medal in the 50-kilogram category for the second consecutive year. Ivan Kvesić also claimed gold in the -84 kg category, while his brother Anđelo Kvesić took silver in the +84 kg division, and Nikolina Golomboš secured bronze in the +68 kg category.

The European Championships were rounded off by the Croatian men’s kumite team (Anđelo Kvesić, Ivan Kvesić, Ivan Martinac, Ivan Pehar, Dino Šimunec, Boran Berak, Toma Mileta, and Mislav Plesivčak), which won the silver medal.

The highlight of the year for this non-Olympic sport was the World Championships in November in Cairo, where Ivan Kvesić (-84 kg) won the only medal for Croatia, claiming bronze.