March 8, 2020 – The Sinkovic brothers, composed of Martin (30) and Valent (31) Sinkovic, are currently in Zagreb, preparing for the new rowing year on Jarun.
This year, at the Tokyo Olympics, they want to win a third medal in their third discipline – coxless pairs, they said in the podcast ‘I ja sam sportaš’, as reported by 24 Sata.
“It has never happened in rowing that the same crew wins three medals in three different disciplines at three Olympics, so this is definitely an additional motive that pushes us forward to achieve this,” Martin said, and Valent continued that in the future, we could see them in yet another discipline.
“It would be nice to row in the eight at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, but I doubt it will happen because at least 10 to 12 very good rowers should be available for the eight, which is quite difficult in such a small country. But going back to the four is always possible.”
The Sinkovic brothers were part of the silver foursome from London in 2012, and they won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and it is difficult to list their smaller successes. Some medals, however, are more important to them than others.
“Some medals in my room are on one shelf, from the smaller competitions, but the ones from the big championships, like the Olympics, are stacked in the showcase for me to see,” Martin Sinkovic said with a smile.
“These are more important to me and need to be in a visible place, and for these others, I really don’t know where they are. I think we have over 250 of them,” Valentin said.
After they have won everything they can win, it would be easy to assume that the Sinkovic Brothers would soon retire, but they are not.
“I do not know when it will be over or what I will do later. I know I don’t want to be a coach. I think that whenever the end of my career comes, we have nothing to regret, but I certainly want to row as long as it makes me happy,” Martin emphasized.
The focus of the season is the Olympics and they will be honing their form at the World Cups and European Championships.
“We have two World Cups and the European Championship before the Olympic Games, which will be the crown of the whole four-year cycle, so all competitions in this season are preparations for Tokyo,” Martin says, while Valent warns about the competition.
“In these three years, as long as we’ve rowed in coxless pairs, the main competitors alternate with us, but we look at the Italians, who beat us in 2017, as our biggest competitors.”
Many young rowers view them as role models, which they are extremely proud of, but also aware of the responsibility that this role carries.
“I am very pleased to hear that my brother and I are role models and that is why we try to give young people an example in rowing, but also in their daily lives, because they really provide many things that help us develop into quality people,” Martin concluded, answering the question of who is his role model in life.
“For me, every man who is honest, who brings up his children in the right way and cares for his family is a role model.”
Valent said in the podcast that he felt that we should not worry about the future of Croatian rowing and that we could soon witness the new successes of some new siblings.
“The Jurkovic sisters and the Loncaric brothers were juniors worldwide and I would choose them because I think they have everything they need to be successful in the seniors. However, they have to be patient because the transition from junior to senior competition is the hardest, and that’s where it is and, unfortunately, many rowers are lost here. The Loncaric brothers are training with us and we are trying to help them as much as we can and I really think that they are on the right track and that they will succeed.”
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