With a ceremonial awards presentation to the best individuals and teams, the Croatian Academic Sports Association celebrated the most successful academic year in the history of student sports.
After five world and 18 European medals, as well as numerous major international competitions organised in Croatia, selecting the best in student sports was no easy task.
The grand UniSport Stars gala evening was held in the beautiful setting of Zagreb’s Westin Hotel, attended by numerous representatives of the academic community, state institutions, and public and sporting life. The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Matjaž Pečovnik and Mr. Liam Smith, representatives of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), and Mr. Fernando Parente, representative of the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
The audience was addressed by FISU Executive Committee Member Haris Pavletić, President of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation and President of the European University Sports Association, who congratulated the award winners in an emotional speech and thanked everyone who had contributed to student sport continuously proving its quality and importance in social life year after year.
A long and well-deserved round of applause, true ovations, was given to Dražen Nikšić, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. A professor at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, he has devoted his entire life to student sport and is a strong Dual Career advocate.
“My goal is to prove to younger generations as much as possible that student sport and academic obligations can go hand in hand. There is no problem in combining sport and university studies and earning a degree after all the battles on the field. I have been here for 20 years, and from the very beginning I have seen a huge difference. Competition has reached a very high level – in Europe we are recognized as an institution and have equal status with elite athletes.”
The Best Female Student Athlete is Veronika Drljačić, an outstanding track and field athlete from Križevci who built her academic career at the University of Zagreb. Among the many records she broke and medals she won, last summer she claimed silver in the 400 meters at the FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
“With good organisation, it is possible to balance academic and sporting obligations. It means a lot to me that I brought Croatian athletics its first Universiade medal after 18 years, especially since the final was extremely tight, all within three-tenths of a second. I knew I was capable of winning gold, but I could just as easily have finished eighth. It was stressful, but the hard work paid off.”
Taekwondo athlete Vito Krpan was named the Best Male Student Athlete of the past academic year. He also won a medal at the FISU World University Games, taking bronze in the under-87-kilogram category.
“My obligations are demanding to balance, but I’m fortunate to train in the morning and then manage my academic responsibilities later. Although it’s challenging, it fulfils me. It was a special honour to represent my university and Croatia at the World University Games – it was my first competition of that kind. It was a great experience, an excellent atmosphere, I met many new people, and I will especially remember the opening ceremony in front of 25,000 spectators.”
A particularly valuable award went to Karla Kordić, a student paraskiier who last year won a bronze medal at the FISU World University Games in Torino. It was Croatia’s first-ever medal at the largest winter competition for student-athletes.