Croatian swimmers set records and win medals at Golden Bear meet

The 40th Golden Bear international swimming meet saw new Croatian junior records and strong performances from local swimmers. The event, held at the Svetice pool, also marked the 80th anniversary of the PK Medveščak club.

Luka Čarapović set a new Croatian junior record in the 100m backstroke, finishing with a time of 54.99 seconds. This achievement solidifies his status as a top talent in Croatian swimming.

The 100m freestyle race generated significant excitement, with Hungarian Olympic finalist Nándor Németh winning. Croatian national team members and Medveščak club athletes Luka Cvetko and Nikola Miljenić secured second and third place, respectively, with times of 49.73 and 49.97 seconds.

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We managed to secure very strong competition. We are especially pleased that Luka Cvetko and Nikola Miljenić took second and third place behind Nándor Németh, one of Europe's best sprinters. We have many more interesting races ahead of us, and we believe in new top results.

Marin Bonačić, president of PK Medveščak, expressed satisfaction with the competition's quality and the home swimmers' performances. "We managed to secure very strong competition. We are especially pleased that Luka Cvetko and Nikola Miljenić took second and third place behind Nándor Németh, one of Europe's best sprinters," Bonačić stated. He added, "We have many more interesting races ahead of us, and we believe in new top results."

Luka Cvetko shared his enthusiasm for competing at home, saying, "It's always nice to swim at your home pool and show what you can do. Németh pulled a very good group, and in the end, we really fought hard, which was the goal. I am satisfied with the result and look forward to new performances over the weekend."

The meet continues with more races, including Roko Krpina's attempt to achieve the European Championship qualifying standard. Organizers encourage sports fans to attend, with free entry to all competitions.

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It's always nice to swim at your home pool and show what you can do. Németh pulled a very good group, and in the end, we really fought hard, which was the goal. I am satisfied with the result and look forward to new performances over the weekend.