There are some exceptional athletes you won’t see mentioned in headlines that often, save for the occasions when they break a record or get a medal of some sorts. A tribute to Dina Levačić, a young Croatian swimmer with several impressive titles to her name, on March 14, 2018
On some days, as I’m looking for interesting content to share here on TCN, I get dealt a lucky hand when it comes to timing. One such stroke of luck just happened to fall into my lap as I was writing this week’s alphabet feature – I mentioned the outstanding Croatian swimmer Dina Levačić, did a quick search to find more information about the young athlete, and it turned out her birthday falls on March 14. Dina is one of those athletes you won’t hear a lot about in the media, unlike some of her counterparts of the football or tennis fame, so it’s only right we pay her a birthday tribute by listing her remarkable feats.
Dina was born in Split and is currently a student of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences in Zagreb, with three successfully completed years behind her. How this exceptional young woman finds the time for both her studies and training is beyond me, but as it usually goes in life, passion and dedication tend to lead to incredible results.
Dina is an open swimming champion and a member of the long-distance swimming club from Split. In 2014 – at the age of 17 – she recorded impressive results at her Argentine tour: she placed fourth in the Rosario marathon, then went on to secure the sixth place in the 57-kilometre marathon from Santa Fe to Coronda. Completing the Argentine trifecta was Hernandarias Parana, the longest open-swimming marathon in the world, with an 88-kilometre route spanning along the murky Parana river. Dina completed the feat in less than 10.5 hours, ending up at the remarkable 5th place and crossing the finish line less than an hour after the winner Pilar Geijo.
And then, three years later, the crown jewel of her sports career so far. The Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, a marathon challenge composed of three historically important swims:
1. Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a 48.5 km circumnavigation of Manhattan, also called 20 Bridges. On June 25, 2017, Dina completed the swim in 7:33:50.
2. The Catalina Channel, a 32.5 km swim from Catalina island to the California mainland. On August 3, 2017, she swam the distance in 9:47:53.
3. The English Channel, a 33.7 km stretch between England and France – and also the most infamous part of the Triple Crown, owing to strong currents and challenging swimming conditions. On September 17, 2017, Dina completed the challenge in 11 hours and 42 minutes, becoming the first Croatian female athlete who has ever swum La Manche in its entirety, and the first Croatian athlete to complete the Triple Crown.
While the channel is some 34 km wide at its narrowest part, the aforementioned currents usually end up causing the swimmers to cross a much longer distance; Dina reportedly swam 45 kilometres in total. Competitors are only allowed to wear regular swimsuits – not the most accommodating of attires when the water temperature is 16.5 degrees Celsius.
Dina is also the sixth athlete in history to have completed the Triple Crown in under 90 days, and only the second woman to have ever done so.
“The body can take anything, as long as it can rely on the psyche. And mine did, even though the last third [of the marathon] almost drove me crazy. You can see France, but it lingers in the distance as a wall that seems farther away the closer you get to it. I finally decided I won’t even look at the shore – I dove my head underwater, only checking whether Europe was still at the same place once an hour”, the champion said after she had reached the French coast.
As Dina once stated, her family is her dream team. Her mom Željana is an executive director of sorts when it comes to her daughter’s undertakings – a manager, an organiser who accompanies Dina on each of her journeys. Her dad Mladen films videos during the marathons, takes photos and writes reports for the media.
What about institutional support? You can imagine what a financial burden the travel and accommodation expenses must present – but apart from the City of Solin and Dina’s open swimming club from Split, she hasn’t received any official support just yet. While her results granted her a right to financial help, her request was denied, as her plan to acquire the Triple Crown title wasn’t considered important enough by Croatian sports institutions. So it came down to Dina’s parents to enable their daughter to chase her incredible dream; as she jokingly said on one occasion, their catchphrase is “The only thing you have to do is swim!”
One more party came to the rescue on multiple occasion: citizens acquainted with Dina’s achievements and goals. When institutions failed to back the young athlete, it was common people who jumped in to help; some have contributed with donations, some have opened their homes to the Levačić family when their accommodation plans fell through while she was competing in the US.
Dina is currently considering her options for future open swimming challenges. As she said, the world is not lacking in swimming marathons, but she has decided not to yield to extremism. Happy 22nd, Dina – we can’t wait to follow you on your future endeavours!
Photo credit: Dina Levačić Facebook Page
