Pivarski wins Croatia's eighth U18 European medal in race walk

Patrik Pivarski clinched Croatia's first medal at the European U18 Athletics Championships, a bronze in the 5000m race walk. His time of 20:40.66 marks a significant achievement, bringing Croatia's total medal count at this event to eight since its inception in 2016.

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This championship is really good and I feel fantastic. This is my first medal at major championships, so this result is very important to me.

Pivarski described the race as tough, with considerable pushing, but managed to push hard in the final 400 meters to secure his spot on the podium. "This championship is really good and I feel fantastic. This is my first medal at major championships, so this result is very important to me," Pivarski stated. He added that the atmosphere, with friends supporting him, made the victory especially meaningful.

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The race was very difficult, there was a lot of pushing, but in the last 400 meters I pushed hard, broke through among the leaders and managed to win this medal.

His next target is the World Junior Championships in Oregon in early August. Pivarski, a member of the Agram club in Zagreb, trains under coach Ljiljana Ćulibrk. The article also highlights other Croatian medalists at the European U18 championships since 2016, including Lara Ontl, Jana Koščak, Lara Jurčić, Vita Barbić, Eva Barbarić, and Jan Ferina.

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I hoped for a medal before the race, but I didn't expect it. I just hoped the race would go well.

Other Croatian athletes also showcased strong performances. Ana Poljak ran a personal best of 2:06.08 in the 800m semifinals, directly qualifying for the final as the third-fastest overall. Lara Jelić finished 15th in the 200m semifinals with a time of 24.37, not advancing to the final. Roko Vitković's performance in the javelin qualification was less successful, as he failed to record a valid throw.

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The atmosphere here is incredible, all my friends came to support me, so this is very special for me.