Three Croatian Paralympians performed at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo today – Zoran Talić in the long jump, Deni Černi in the shot put, and Vladimir Gašpar in the javelin throw.
The biggest success was achieved by Černi (28), who won the bronze medal in the F33 category with a result of 11.25!
The athletic club OTOS Grubišno Polje member opened the competition with a result of 10.58, then threw 11.01, and in the third series 11.25, which was enough to take third place. By the end, he had one failed attempt and threw 10.54.
The silver medal was won by Algeria’s Kamel Kardjena with a score of 11.34, while gold was won by Morocco’s Zakariae Derhem, who was 3 centimeters better.
This is the greatest success of the Croatian record holder in the shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw in the F33 category.
Coming to Tokyo for this modest Paralympian from Virovitica was a dream come true.
“We left Croatia with a result of 10.85, and here I threw 11.25, and I am overjoyed. I felt in training that it could be good. I didn’t want to think about a possible medal, but I wanted to throw as far as possible, and I succeeded,” said Černi, who was diagnosed with dystonia at the age of six.
So far, his biggest success was silver at the European Championships in Berlin three years ago and bronze this year at the European Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
“I spent a lot of time in the wrong category. Five years ago, I entered a new category, and I progressed in it. Paris will come fast; now I will be even hungrier,” he added.
Another medal for Croatia was secured by taekwondo fighter Ivan Mikulić (26), who will fight for the gold in the +75 kg category.
Para-taekwondo was included in the Paralympic Games for the first time, and Mikulić will be remembered as the first Croatian representative in the history of this sport at the Paralympic Games.
Mikulić, who was the fourth seed, was free in the first round, and in the quarterfinals, he defeated Morocco’s Rachid Ismaili Alaoui with a convincing 28-11.
In the semifinals, he fought American Evan Medell, whom he defeated 28-9. For gold, he will fight Iran’s Asghar Aziziaghdaml.
Mikulić has thus secured the 7th Croatia medal in Tokyo.
The first medal in Tokyo was won by Velimir Šandor, who won silver in the discus throw in the F52 category. Then Anđela Mužinić and Helena Dretar Karić won bronze in the table tennis team tournament.
The series was continued by Ivan Katanušić with silver in discus throw in the F64 category, followed by bronze medals by Dino Sinovčić in the 100-meter backstroke and Mikela Ristoski in the long jump, and, of course, Deni Černi.
Source: T.portal
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