Croatia at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Croatia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since the post-Yugoslav era. The Croatian Olympic Committee (Croatian: Hrvatski olimpijski odbor, HOO) sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since its debut in 1992. A total of 81 athletes, 66 men and 15 women, competed in 14 sports. Men's water polo, and men's handball were the only team-based sports in which Croatia had its representation in these Olympic Games.

Croatia at the
2004 Summer Olympics
IOC codeCRO
NOCCroatian Olympic Committee
Websitewww.hoo.hr (in Croatian and English)
in Athens
Competitors81 in 14 sports
Flag bearers Dubravko Šimenc (opening)[1]
Siniša Skelin (closing)
Medals
Ranked 44th
Gold
1
Silver
2
Bronze
2
Total
5
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
 Austria (1900)
 Yugoslavia (1920–1988)

The Croatian team featured three Olympic medalists from Sydney: rowers and brothers Nikša and Siniša Skelin, and four-time Olympian and defending weightlifting champion Nikolaj Pešalov in the men's lightweight class. Table tennis player and Olympic silver medalist Zoran Primorac became the first Croatian to participate in five Olympic Games as an individual athlete (his first appearance competed under the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). Former Bosnian athlete and discus thrower Dragan Mustapić served as the team captain and oldest member of the team at age 41, while backstroke swimmer Sanja Jovanović was youngest at age 17. Three-time Olympic water polo player and two-time medalist Dubravko Šimenc was appointed by the committee to become the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1]

Croatia left Athens with a total of five medals (one gold, two silver, and two bronze), being considered as the nation's most successful Olympics in history based on the overall medal tally. All of these medals were awarded for the first time to the Croatian athletes in swimming, men's coxless pair in rowing, and men's tennis doubles. Meanwhile, Croatia men's handball team (led by team captain Venio Losert) proved particularly successful in Athens, as they beat the Germans for their only gold medal at these Games, adding it to their previous record from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[2]

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventDate
 GoldCroatia men's national handball team
HandballMen's tournamentAugust 29
 SilverDuje DraganjaSwimmingMen's 50 m freestyleAugust 20
 SilverNikša Skelin
Siniša Skelin
RowingMen's pairAugust 21
 BronzeNikolaj PešalovWeightliftingMen's 69 kgAugust 18
 BronzeMario Ančić
Ivan Ljubičić
TennisMen's doublesAugust 21

Athletics

Croatian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).[3][4]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Men
Track & road events
AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal
ResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank
Jurica Grabušić110 m hurdles13.878Did not advance
Branko Zorko1500 m3:48.2810Did not advance
Field events
AthleteEventQualificationFinal
DistancePositionDistancePosition
Siniša ErgotićLong jump7.7726Did not advance
Edis ElkasevićShot put18.4436Did not advance
András HaklitsHammer throw74.4321Did not advance
Nedžad MulabegovićShot put19.0729Did not advance
Dragan MustapićDiscus throw54.6634Did not advance
Edi PonošJavelin throw71.4333Did not advance
Women
Field events
AthleteEventQualificationFinal
DistancePositionDistancePosition
Vera BegićDiscus throw57.3129Did not advance
Ivana BrkljačićHammer throw68.2113Did not advance
Sanja Gavrilović56.7945Did not advance
Blanka VlašićHigh jump1.957 Q1.8911

Boxing

Croatia sent two boxers to the 2004 Summer Olympics.

AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Marijo ŠivolijaLight heavyweight  Muñoz (VEN)
L 23–31
Did not advance
Vedran ĐipaloHeavyweight  Forsyth (AUS)
L 22–32
Did not advance

Canoeing

Slalom

AthleteEventPreliminarySemifinalFinal
Run 1RankRun 2RankTotalRankTimeRankTimeRankTotalRank
Danko HercegMen's C-1103.847100.333204.176 Q203.4912Did not advance
Dinko MulićMen's K-1102.7120108.0524210.7622Did not advance

Sprint

AthleteEventHeatsSemifinalsFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Emanuel HorvatičekMen's C-1 500 m1:55.5285 q2:06.3478Did not advance
Men's C-1 1000 m4:27.6627 q4:24.6047Did not advance

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify to final; q = Qualify to semifinal

Equestrian

Eventing

AthleteHorseEventDressageCross-countryJumpingTotal
QualifierFinal
PenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRank
Pepo PuchBanville d'IvoyIndividual68.606580.60149.20669.00158.2063Did not advance158.2063

Handball

Summary

Key:

  • ET – After extra time
  • P – Match decided by penalty-shootout.
TeamEventGroup StageQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
RankOpposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Croatia men'sMen's tournament  Iceland
W 34–30
 Slovenia
W 27–26
 South Korea
W 29–26
 Russia
W 26–25
 Spain
W 30–22
1  Greece
W 33–27
 Hungary
W 33–31
 Germany
W 26–24

Men's tournament

Roster

The following is the Croatia roster in the men's handball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[5]

Head coaches: Lino Červar

No.Pos.NameDate of birth (age)HeightApp.GoalsClub
1GKVenio Losert (1976-07-25)25 July 1976 (aged 28)1.91 m BM Granollers
2LWNikša Kaleb (1973-03-09)9 March 1973 (aged 31)1.84 m RK Zagreb
4CBIvano Balić (1979-04-01)1 April 1979 (aged 25)1.89 m Portland San Antonio
6LBBlaženko Lacković (1980-12-25)25 December 1980 (aged 23)1.95 m SG Flensburg
7RWVedran Zrnić (1979-09-26)26 September 1979 (aged 24)1.88 m RK Gorenje Velenje
9PIgor Vori (1980-09-20)20 September 1980 (aged 23)2.02 m RK Zagreb
10LBDavor Dominiković (1978-04-07)7 April 1978 (aged 26)2.03 m Kronau Ostringen
11RWMirza Džomba (1977-02-28)28 February 1977 (aged 27)1.90 m BM Ciudad Real
12GKVlado Šola (1968-11-17)17 November 1968 (aged 35)1.94 m Fotex Veszprem
14RBDrago Vuković (1983-08-03)3 August 1983 (aged 21)1.94 m RK Zagreb
15CBSlavko Goluža (1971-09-17)17 September 1971 (aged 32)1.95 m Fotex Veszprem
16GKValter Matošević (1970-06-11)11 June 1970 (aged 34)1.93 m Wilhelmshavener HV
17LWGoran Šprem (1979-07-06)6 July 1979 (aged 25)1.83 m RK Zagreb
18CBDenis Špoljarić (1979-08-20)20 August 1979 (aged 24)1.94 m RK Zagreb
19RBPetar Metličić (1976-12-25)25 December 1976 (aged 27)1.94 m CB Ademar León
Group play
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1  Croatia5500146129+1710Quarterfinals
2  Spain5401154137+178
3  South Korea520314814804[a]
4  Russia520314514504[a]
5  Iceland5104143158−152[b]
6  Slovenia5104130149−192[b]
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Draw.
Notes:
14 August 2004
19:30
Croatia  34 - 30  IcelandSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Lemme, Ullrich (GER)
Metličić 8(16-12)Stefansson 8
 9× [1]  7×  1×
16 August 2004
11:30
Slovenia  26 - 27  CroatiaSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Oie, Togstad (NOR)
Brumen 10(10-13)Vori 8
 7×  2× [2]  7×  1×
18 August 2004
09:30
Croatia  29 - 26  South KoreaSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Bord, Buy (FRA)
Džomba 9(12-10)Yoon 8
 6× [3]  3×
20 August 2004
19:30
Russia  25 - 26  CroatiaSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Hansson, Olsson (SWE)
Torgovanov, Rastvortsev 6(14-10)Lacković 9
 5× [4]  3×
22 August 2004
11:30
Croatia  30 - 22  SpainSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Baum, Goralczyk (POL)
Džomba 7(15-9)García 5
 1× [5]  4×
Quarterfinal
24 August 2004
16:30
Croatia  33 - 27  GreeceSports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Lemme, Ullrich (GER)
Džomba 11(19-11)Balomenos, Alvanos 6
[6]  2×
Semifinal
27 August 2004
14:30
Croatia  33 - 31  HungarySports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Arnaldsson, Vidarsson (ISL)
Balić 9(18-16)Pérez 8
 3× [7]  2×
Gold Medal Final
29 August 2004
16:45
Croatia  26 - 24  GermanySports Pavilion, Athens
Referees: Hansson, Olsson (SWE)
Džomba 9(11-12)Kretzschmar 9
 2× [8]  5×
Won Gold Medal

Rowing

Croatian rowers qualified the following boats:

Men
AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalsFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Nikša Skelin
Siniša Skelin
Pair7:01.282 SA/BBye6:23.572 FA6:32.64
Igor Boraska
Marko Dragičević
Petar Milin
Damir Vučičić
Four6:34.054 R5:58.483 SA/B6:05.546 FB5:57.3612

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage

Sailing

Croatian sailors have qualified one boat for each of the following events.

Men
AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank
12345678910M*
Karlo KuretFinn62108121875335614
Tomislav Bašić
Petar Cupać
470161019520262125171213619
Open
AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank
12345678910M*
Mate ArapovLaser611222OCS133252925313914

M = Medal race; OCS = On course side of the starting line; DSQ = Disqualified; DNF = Did not finish; DNS= Did not start; RDG = Redress given

Shooting

Women
AthleteEventQualificationFinal
PointsRankPointsRank
Mirela Skoko-Ćelić10 m air pistol38115Did not advance
25 m pistol569=27Did not advance

Swimming

Croatian swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time):

Men
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Nenad Buljan400 m freestyle4:02.7637Did not advance
1500 m freestyle15:56.5429Did not advance
Krešimir Čač200 m individual medley2:05.3334Did not advance
Mario Delač200 m freestyle1:55.8254Did not advance
Duje Draganja50 m freestyle22.285 Q22.198 Q21.94 NR
100 m freestyle49.074 Q49.146 Q49.236
100 m butterfly52.566 Q52.748 Q52.467
Saša Imprić400 m individual medley4:32.0232Did not advance
Gordan Kožulj100 m backstroke55.8016 Q56.0214Did not advance
200 m backstroke2:00.9412 Q1:59.619Did not advance
Vanja Rogulj100 m breaststroke1:03.1626Did not advance
200 m breaststroke2:18.8137Did not advance
Igor Čerenšek
Mario Delač
Duje Draganja
Ivan Mladina
4 × 100 m freestyle relay3:21.0113Did not advance
Women
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Petra Banović200 m freestyle2:04.2432Did not advance
200 m individual medley2:20.8325Did not advance
Anita Galić400 m freestyle4:26.0937Did not advance
800 m freestyle9:10.9128Did not advance
Sanja Jovanović100 m backstroke1:02.47=17Did not advance
200 m backstroke2:15.0116 Q2:13.7613Did not advance
Smiljana Marinović100 m breaststroke1:11.0020Did not advance
200 m breaststroke2:32.5217Did not advance

Table tennis

Three Croatian table tennis players qualified for the following events.

Men
AthleteEventRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Zoran PrimoracMen's singlesBye  Miličević (BIH)
W 4–1
 Ma L (CHN)
L 1–4
Did not advance
Tamara BorošWomen's singlesBye  Kravchenko (ISR)
W 4–0
 Pavlovich (BLR)
W 4–2
 Zhang Yn (CHN)
L 0–4
Did not advance
Cornelia Vaida  Lay (AUS)
L 0–4
Did not advance
Tamara Boroš
Cornelia Vaida
Women's doublesBye  Štrbíková /
Vachovcová (CZE)
W 4–1
 Bátorfi /
Tóth (HUN)
W 4–1
 Kim B-R /
Kim K-A (KOR)
L 0–4
Did not advance

Taekwondo

Two Croatian taekwondo jin qualified for the following events.

AthleteEventRound of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechage 1Repechage 2Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Sandra ŠarićWomen's −67 kg  Solheim (NOR)
L 2–5
Did not advance
Nataša VezmarWomen's +67 kgBye  Dawani (JOR)
L 4–5
Did not advance

Tennis

Croatia nominated three male and two female tennis players in the tournament.

AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Mario AnčićMen's singles  Haas (GER)
L 1–6, 5–7
Did not advance
Ivo Karlović  Pavel (ROM)
W 6–4, 6–7(10–12), 6–2
 Clément (FRA)
W 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–4
 Moyá (ESP)
L 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 4–6
Did not advance
Ivan Ljubičić  Sargsian (ARM)
W 6–3, 6–2
 Johansson (SWE)
W 7–6(7–3), 6–4
 Dent (USA)
L 4–6, 4–6
Did not advance
Mario Ančić
Ivan Ljubičić
Men's doubles  Björkman /
Johansson (SWE)
W RET
 Damm /
Suk (CZE)
W 7–6(8–6), 6–7(2–7), 7–5
 Llodra /
Santoro (FRA)
W 4–6, 6–3, 9–7
 González /
Massú (CHI)
L 5–7, 6–4, 4–6
 Bhupathi /
Paes (IND)
W 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 16–14
Jelena KostanićWomen's singles  Brandi (PUR)
L 5–7, 1–6
Did not advance
Karolina Šprem  Dulko (ARG)
W 6–4, 7–6(8–6), 7–5
 Widjaja (INA)
W 6–3, 6–1
 Sugiyama (JPN)
L 6–7(6–8), 1–6
Did not advance
Jelena Kostanić
Karolina Šprem
Women's doubles  Prakusya /
Widjaja (INA)
W 6–3, 6–2
 Asagoe /
Sugiyama (JPN)
L 3–6, 5–7
Did not advance

Water polo

Men's tournament

Roster

The following is the Croatian roster in the men's water polo tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[6]

Head coach: Zoran Roje

NamePos.HeightWeightDate of birth2004 club
1Frano VićanGK1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)92 kg (203 lb)24 January 1976 Sportiva Nervi
2Damir BurićCB2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)112 kg (247 lb)2 December 1980 VK Primorje
3Tihomil VranješD1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)87 kg (192 lb)10 November 1977 VK Jug Dubrovnik
4Dubravko ŠimencCB2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)115 kg (254 lb)2 November 1966 Bissolati Cremona
5Goran VolarevićGK1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)91 kg (201 lb)2 April 1977 VK Jug Dubrovnik
6Ratko Štritof (C)CB1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)102 kg (225 lb)14 January 1972 Circolo Nautico Posillipo
7Mile SmodlakaCF1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)115 kg (254 lb)1 January 1976 VK Jug Dubrovnik
8Danijel PremušCF1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)98 kg (216 lb)15 April 1981 VK Primorje
9Nikola FrankovićD1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)98 kg (216 lb)9 November 1982 VK Primorje
10Samir BaračD1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)93 kg (205 lb)2 November 1973 Leonessa Brescia
11Igor HinićCF2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)110 kg (240 lb)4 December 1975 Leonessa Brescia
12Elvis FatovićD1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)87 kg (192 lb)8 May 1971 VK Jug Dubrovnik
13Vjekoslav KobešćakD1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)89 kg (196 lb)20 January 1974 HAVK Mladost
Group play
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1  Hungary55004427+1710Qualified for the semifinals
2  Serbia and Montenegro54013726+118Qualified for the quarterfinals
3  Russia53023228+46
4  United States52033237−54
5  Croatia51043541−62
6  Kazakhstan50052142−210
Source: [citation needed]
15 August 2004
22:15
[9]Croatia  6–7  United StatesAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Tulga (TUR), Bookelman (NED)
Score by quarters: 0-0, 0-3, 2-1, 4-3
Štritof 3GoalsAzevedo 3

17 August 2004
22:15
[10]Hungary  10–8  CroatiaAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Borrell (ESP), Bookelman (NED)
Score by quarters: 1-0, 4-2, 4-4, 1-2
Kásás, Biros 3GoalsBurić, Štritof 2

19 August 2004
22:15
[11]Croatia  8–9  RussiaAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Stavropoulos (GRE), Kratochvil (SVK)
Score by quarters: 2-2, 2-3, 1-1, 3-3
Franković, Fatović 2GoalsZinnourov 2

21 August 2004
21:00
[12]Serbia and Montenegro  11–8  CroatiaAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Petronilli (ITA), Bookelman (NED)
Score by quarters: 2-1, 4-2, 3-3, 2-2
Šapić 5Goals3 players with 2

23 August 2004
10:45
[13]Croatia  5–4  KazakhstanAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Matache (ROU), Rezek (CZE)
Score by quarters: 2-2, 2-0, 0-0, 1-2
Smodlaka 2Goals4 players with 1

7th-12th Classification Quarterfinal
25 August 2004
10:45
[14]Croatia  12–1  EgyptAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Zhong (CHN), Pinker (RSA)
Score by quarters: 4-0, 2-0, 4-0, 2-1
Burić 3GoalsRezk 1

7th-10th Classification Semifinal
27 August 2004
17:00
[15]Italy  11–7  CroatiaAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Afanasiev (RUS), Koryzna (POL)
Score by quarters: 2-1, 3-4, 1-1, 5-1
Bencivenga 3GoalsFranković 3

9th-10th Place Classification
29 August 2004
09:30
[16]Australia  8–7  CroatiaAthens Olympic Aquatic Centre
Referees:
Kiszelly (HUN), Sayed Mahmoud (EGY)
Score by quarters: 2-0, 3-4, 1-1, 2-2
Whalan 5GoalsFranković 3

Weightlifting

AthleteEventSnatchClean & JerkTotalRank
ResultRankResultRank
Nikolaj PešalovMen's −69 kg1503187.5=2337.5

See also

References